Red-blooded soldier
by D3N1Z3N
Summary: Threshecutioner's regulation one: No entrants under the Brown blood caste. No mutants. No exceptions.
1. red-blooded soldier

**A/N: Heeey, this is my first ever fan-fic, and It was really fun doing this first chapter! Seriously, I don't know when I'll update though, Cuz I have school and stuff. So, if you like it, then I'll update as much as possible! Thatnks for actually _reading _it :D **

A young troll stood outside the Threshecutioners recruitment office. Today, he would become a man, or he would be pushed aside in shame. Today, he would realise his dreams, or have them crushed in front of him. Today, he would get his future handed to him. He stepped through the black tinted doors and into a dimly lit room. He couldn't see anybody. He straightened up his black turtle-neck. Today, he wore one with no sign. He didn't want to give away his blood colour. Before he could ponder on this any longer, a large troll in a black and red Threshecutioners uniform stepped in from a narrow corridor to his left. He stopped in front of the young troll and looked him up and down. He was holding a clipboard with a piece of paper attached. He looked at our protagonist once more and began to scribble on the paper. At least he hadn't been rejected on the spot.

"Name." The very big and burly guard-troll asked in a threatening voice. The young troll in front of him stood nervously.

"Karkat Vantas." He said, un-faltering, but still panicking a little.

"Age." The guard spoke again, sounding bored.

"10 sweeps." Karkat spoke softly, losing confidence in the presence of the guard.

"Wrigglin' day." This time, the troll didn't even look up.

"12th Bilunar Perigee of the 6th Dark Season's equinox" Karkat managed. His calm was fading fast. The next question could get him out-casted from his people. One wrong move and he would be done for.

"Blood-colour." Karkat took a deep breath. He wanted- no he _needed_ this job so badly. It had been his dream since he was just a grub. But a red blood would never make it. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Moment of truth. Our young hero took a breath.

"T-teal. Teal sir." Now was the point of no return. If he got in to the Threshecutioners, there was no quitting. If they found out he was lying about his blood, they would kill him. After a moment, Karkat realised how stupid he had been. _Of course_ they were going to find out about his true colour. They were the hardest soldiers around, and you don't get through one of the toughest armies in the universe without a scratch! _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! _

Then the guard caught his attention again.

"Right, _Vantas, _Do you swear to serve and obey the empress to every extent possible?"

"I-I do…"

"Do you swear to serve and protect the empress and all of Alternia, even if it means sacrificing your pathetic life?"

"I do."

"Do you _swear_ that you will train long and hard with your flay-squad, work tirelessly and  
painfully to the fullest extent that your body can work, to be the best Threshecutioner that you can?"

"I do."

"Good, then you can come in one week at this exact location for a trial and a blood test. You will be judged on physical fitness, skills with a sickle, mental stability, blood colour testing and reflexes. Now, go."

He turned his back on Karkat, who was now starting to mentally flip his shit. He stepped back into the daylight and headed for his hive, fearing for his life.

Karkat returned to his respite block. He ran to his room and locked his doors and windows. He put his back against the wall and put his head in his hands. They came back red. _No Karkat. Do NOT be a wuss. _He though. _Do NOT start crying on me! You can get through this. They won't have to find out, ok? You can fix this. _

But honestly, he just didn't see how.

**A/N Oh god. This is way too short, sorry. I promise that the next ones will be longer! C ya at the next chapter!**


	2. One useful suggestion from the cat-girl

**A/N okay so I really had some doubts about this at first, and I thought it was pretty bad, but then I had this really nice review and I decided to work on an update right away! Okay, so the last chapter was really short, and I don't think I went into enough detail AT ALL (XD) so this will be longer! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing!**

**One useful suggestion from the cat-girl.**

Karkat sat back at his desk. His eyes dragged across his computer screen. In all his life, he had never been so frustrated with the internet. It was four in the morning, and he had been searching all night. He grabbed at the screen hard, causing the colours to pool around his hands. He shook the monitor and growled in rage. If someone else had been in the room at the time, they would certainly be able to distinguish the fear in his voice, not quite covered by the anger he was trying to get across. There had to be some kind of solution. He was sure that he wasn't the first person to find themselves in a similar situation. But sadly, the computer had no answers for him this time. Honestly, he didn't think it would. It would be too easy to be discovered if there was a website called "_How to hide your blood colour in 3 easy steps!"_

A small light blinked in the corner of the screen. He _really _didn't need to be chatting to somebody right now, especially not her. But he clicked it anyway.

**arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

AC: :33 *ac greets her furrend with a huge tackle-pounce!*  
AC: :33 *she begins to jump furrociously around him while he gets up*  
CG: *KARKAT DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS*  
CG: SERIOUSLY, I DO *NOT* HAVE TIME TO ROLE PLAY, AND SERIOUSLY, YOU ARE 10 SWEEPS OLD NOW. WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING IT?  
AC: :33 well, somebody is grumpy!  
AC: :33 *lifts her nose and crossed her paws huffily, because RPing is fun!*  
CG: HONESTLY, NEPETA, SHUT UP.  
AC: :33 :( wow, you're mean today!  
CG: OK, I'M SORRY.  
CG: I'M JUST REALLY STRESSES RIGHT NOW.  
CG: I'M KIND OF FREAKING OUT.  
AC: :33 aww Karkitty, what's wrong? You can tell me!  
CG: OK, I KNOW IT SOUNDS REALLY STUPID…  
CG: BUT YOU KNOW HOW SINCE I WAS LITTLE… I ALWAYS KINDA WANTED TO BE A, WELL, A THRESHECUTIONER?  
CG: WELL, I (GOD I'M SO STUPID) KIND OF SIGNED UP.  
AC: :33 Aw, good for you! Realising your dreams! But… Don't they not want trolls of your blood colour?  
AC: :33 I'm not trying to be mean or anything!  
AC: :33 *ac pawses and looks up with a very reassuring face*  
AC: :33 i just didn't think they did  
CG: THEY DON'T. CG: THAT'S THR PROBLEM. I LIED, AND THEY'RE GOING TO FIND OUT.  
AC: :33 its not that big of a deal!  
CG: YOU'RE KIDDING, RIGHT?  
CG: HOW CAN YOU BE SERIOUS ABOUT THAT. IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL? THEY'RE GOING TO FREAKING MURDER ME. AC: :33 No! I mean, there's an easy answer Karkitty!  
CG: REALLY?  
CG: WHAT IS IT? I REALLY, *REALLY* HATE TO ADMIT IT, BUT I'M DESPARATE. 

**AC: :33 Oh! I see, you haven't heard of it? Yeah, most people haven't! **

**CG: HEARD OF WHAT? SERIOUSLY, JUST TELL ME.**

**AC: :33 Well, it's a little injection that you get. You can put different colours in it, and it will temporarily colour your blood for you! Not many people know about it. It's called Et Color Immutaus Latantes, but most people just call it Immatus. **

**CG: WHAT A STUPID NAME, BUT OKAY. HOW DO I GET THIS CRAP?**

**AC: :33 Immatus is NOT crap! But you should be able to get some from Sollux, I know he keeps a stash of it, for whatever reason.**

**CG: RIIIIIGHT. OKAY, SO I CAN GET SOME OF THIS IMMATUS STUFF FROM SOLLUX?**

**AC: :33 Yep! **

**CG:RIGHT. THANKS, I GUESS.**

**AC: :33 That's okay! And good luck with following your dreams, Karkitty!**

**CG:SHUT UP. **

**carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC] **

Karkat sighed. He was totally baffled and frankly overwhelmed at what Nepeta had just said. Immatus? What the hell even was that junk**? **And what the hell did Sollux need it for? It didn't matter, right now, he would take any solution, no matter how completely stupid and unrealistic it was. Anyway, right now, he needed to see Sollux. Okay, should he troll him first? No, there was no time, he would just go to his hive, maybe leave a message first.

**carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] **

**CG: SOLLUX, I'M COMING OVER.  
CG: HAVE SOME OF THAT BLOOD-COLOUR-IMMA-WHATEVER STUFF READY, OKAY?**

**carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling twinArmageddons [TA] **

**TA: what the hell, kk?**

Okay, now to get to Sollux's. Karkat crept down the stairs, hoping to avoid any confrontation with his Lusus. Although he was now expert on sneaking around his hive unnoticed, he brought his sickle anyway. He dared to peek through the gap in the door to Crab-dad's "room" and was rewarded with a large, white claw slapping him in the face. The huge crab-creature was moving around the room, restlessly trying to catch a rat that was scurrying around. Karkat managed to get to the door unnoticed. Sollux's hive wasn't too far away, so he decided just to walk. Could it even be possible that Sollux could have the answer? Nervousness gnawed at the corners of Karkat's mind. If not, then he would probably be dead by next week. God, he was such an idiot! Why would he, a stupid little mutant-blood, even try to enter one of the most prestigious and high-class armies in the universe? Maybe he should just not show up. But that would never work. He had already signed up, already swore an oath. He was past the point of no return. The only way now was to lie his way further into trouble. Even with all of the thoughts and worries on his shoulders weighing him down, he still managed to put one miserable foot in front of the other until he was walking at a steady pace. The intense heat from the huge Alternian sun, although it was still only just rising, was another constant weight on his body. He felt as though he should just lie down on the ground and give up. Looking back, it only took a minute. It had been so anti-climactic and simple. He had just walked in there, given a few details and there he was, in the biggest mess of his life. After about half an hour of walking, he reached Sollux's hive. He craned his neck to see the top of the huge, green, hexagonal structure. He could just see Sollux's lusus, Bicyclops, illuminated and silhouetted in the dim light. He was chained atop the building, and he could certainly hear it. In a sudden wave of anxiety, he rushed to the door and began to thump on it as hard as he could with his fists.

"SOLLUX! OPEN UP YOU STUPID ASS-HOLE!" He began yelling. There was no response for a few minutes. Karkat began to get impatient, but never gave up on his routine of banging and yelling. After a while, the door swung open, and Karkat lost his balance for a moment. He righted himself and came face to face with a very irritated looking Sollux, who was currently draped in a black and yellow bath-rope and Gemini sign pyjamas. He looked angrily at Karkat for a moment before yelling in his face, "WHAT?"

Karkat took a step back, he knew what Sollux could do when he was angry.

"WHAT THE _HELL_ DO YOU WANT, KK? PLEASE, ENLIGHTEN ME TO WHY YOU GOT ME UP AT FIVE IN THE GOG-DAMN MORNING? WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT, THAT YOU WOULD ACTUALLY COME TO MY HIVE AT THIS EARLY-HOUR, SCREAMING AND TRYING TO BREAK THE DOOR DOWN?"

Karkat widened his eyes and held out his palms defensively. "Wow, geez Sollux, I explained why I was coming in the message I sent you earlier!"

Sollux rolled his eyes and put his head in his hands. "KK, jutht tell me why you are here" he hissed in an exasperated tone.

"Okay, fine," Karkat began. "I'll start with a question: what is Et… Et Color imats lantern? Is that how you even say it?" At hearing this, Sollux looked shocked for a moment, then angry again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tight.

"Goddammit Nepeta! Ugh, I _told _her not to tell anyone! And by the way, it'th called Et Color Immutauth Latanteth. And it's nothing."

"That's not what Nepeta says. She says it's something that you can use to temporarily change your blood colour. Would she be lying, Sollux?" Karkat asked in a pretty snarky tone to his voice.

"Yeth."

"Fine then, I guess I'll just leave, and then I can be killed by angry Threshecutioners who are out for me because I may have lied about my blood colour! That'll just be a blast! See you later then Sollux, or not." Karkat turned and began to walk away. Sollux looked shocked. "Wait, what?!" he exclaimed. Karkat turned back. "Oh, nothing. Just that I LIED like an idiot about my blood colour to get my dream job, and if I don't find a way to get past a blood test they're going to give next week, then they are going to freaking murder me. But other than that, it's nothing, I'm FINE."

"Jethus chritht, you are an idiot. Get inside, KK."

….

**A/N: okay, so that was chapter 2. I guess that it was also a little short, but I think it was a bit better. Okay, so thank you for reading and thank you for to all of the people that rated and reviewed and read! J see ya at  
chapter 3!**


	3. he's late

**A/N: so welcome to the third chapter! Thanks to everyone that read, rated and reviewed! Okay, not much to say really, I'll try to update this as much as I can! Have fun reading!**

**He's late.**

A troll stood in her room. She was bored. Today, she was supposed to get a visit from her moirail, but he hadn't shown up yet. He said he'd be there at around noon, but now it was well past 2 o clock. She sat on her windowsill huffily and dragged herself over to her computer chair. She decided to message him.

**gallowsCalibrator [GC] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

GC: K4RK4T, WH3R3 4R3 YOU?  
GC: YOU 4RE V3RY L4T3 FOR OUR G3T-TOG3TH3R! :[  
GC: K4RK4T?  
GC: H3LLO?  
GC: COME ON, WH3R3 AR3 YOU? GC: W3LL, WH3R3V3R YOU 4RE, HURRY UP! 

**GC: *ANNOY3D SIGH* W3LL, S33 YOU L4T3R, I GU3SS. **

**gallowsCalibrator [GC] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] **

A small light on Karkat's computer flashed and beeped softly, but he was too far away to hear or see it. Karkat sat back in Sollux's chair. He was about to take a dose of the _Immatus. _Sollux took out a small metal box. He flipped open the lid to reveal a large tube resting in the black foam lining. Next to the tube lay a thin, long needle about five inches long. The sight of it made Karkat uneasy. He wasn't a particular _fan_ of needles.

"Tho, what colour did you tell the guardth you had?"

"Teal"

"Hehehe, I'm thure Terezi will be flattered" Sollux snickered and grinned maliciously. Karkat felt himself blush. He hadn't really _meant_ to copy Terezi's blood colour. It was the first thing that came to mind when he was there! Speaking of Terezi… was he forgetting something? With all the recent worries it was kind of hard to keep track. Ah well, he would remember if it were important.

"Okay, tho when ith the blood tetht?"

"Six days from now."

"Right. Well I really thouldn't give you the dose now… but you do need to thee how itth done…" Sollux mumbed to himself.

"Okay, tho, I can either give you a double dothe now tho you know how to do it, and it'll thtill laths until next week, or, I can give you a normal dothe, show you how to do it, then you can do it yourthelf on the day of the tetht."

Karkat thought for a moment. If he took the double dose, it would last twice as long, and he would only have to take one injection. With the single dose, he would have to take _two_ injections.

"Gimmie the double dose, Sollux."

"Ok, KK. Tho, firtht, you take the tube and thtick the needle into the bottom." He did so, turning the two parts into a syringe. Then he took the lining from the box, revealing another compartment. From here, he drew out a plunger, which he stuck into the top of the tube.

"Then, you take a tube of whatever colour you need," He drew out a small phial of teal-coloured liquid.

"and you put it into the tube." He opened up a small latch on the tube and inserted the phial. Karkat watched earnestly, but also rather nervously.

"thake the whole thing tho that the phial ditholves." Sollux shook the syringe, and sure enough, the phial (which turned out to be made of sugar-glass) dissolved, leaving only the liquid and the tube.

"And now you're ready to inject. Okay?"

"Yeah… I guess…" This whole thing was getting to Karkat now. The needle looked huge and very, very sharp.

"KK, come here, I need to adminithter the Immatuth." Karkat sidled closer to Sollux, who took the syringe and held it to Karkat's shoulder.

"Relath, ok? It will only hurt for a moment. Relath your muscleth (if you have any) hehehe" Karkat tried his hardest to relax his arm, but it was hard. He squinted his eyes until he couldn't see and waited. Moments later, a sharp pain entered his arm. That wasn't so bad. The pain cut off. He opened his eyes to discover the sickening sight of the needle, still in his arm. Sollux hadn't even pulled the plunger yet. Then, Sollux actually _did_ pull the plunger. Fire screamed through Karkat's arm, spreading rapidly through out his entire body. Sollux pulled out the needle, and Karkat fell off of his chair, writhing in pain and screeching as loud as his lungs would allow. Sollux sat back and watched. He put his hand to his face and shook his head. "Yeah, that'll happen the firtht time."

Terezi Pyrope was bored. Karkat was now five hours late. Yeah, he probably forgot.

The pain subsided enough for Karkat to get some coherent thought through his head after a few more hours. Sollux was asleep in his chair, having managed to fall asleep through Karkat's screaming. He stood up, slapped Sollux in the face and sat down. Sollux woke with a snap.

"What the hell?" He yelled. He stood up, looking at Karkat as if he were a piece of rotten meat.

"WHY DID YOU NOT WARN ME ABOUT THAT, CAPTOR?" Karkat yelled back.

"Well, you know now, don't you?"

"Screw you."

Sollux sighed. "Just take this. You're gonna need it if you want to keep this going."

He shoved the box into Karkat's arms.

"Is it going to hurt like that everytime?"

"No. Just the first time. Now GO HOME. You've been here all day."

"Yeah, whatever."

Karkat began walking home, still stinging in some areas. Once he got home, he managed to sneak back up to his room. He slumped in his chair and fell asleep. A few hours later, he woke and dragged himself to the bathroom. He got a razor from the drawer. He looked down on the sparkling surface of the smooth metal. He shut his eyes tight and dragged the razor across the back of his hand. Fire shot through the cut, but it didn't hurt enough for him to make a noise and alert his Lusus of his presence. He opened his eyes to see beads of teal-coloured liquid coming from the cut. It was shocking to see. It felt so strange. So weird. His blood was teal. Teal like Terezi. Wait. _Terezi. _Shit.

Terezi was browsing the internet when she heard banging at her door. She looked (or rather, smelled) at her clock. It was past 10 o clock. Who would be visiting at 10 o clock? She walked from her window onto one of the branches leading to her door. She smelled… was that blueberries? Whoever it was smelled like blueberries and candy. It smelled really good, actually.

"Terezi!" She heard a familiar voice. Karkat? What was he doing here?

Karkat banged on Terezi's door, feeling terrible. He couldn't believe he had forgotten! He was meant to be at her Hive more than 10 _hours_ ago, but he had been to pre-occupied with writhing on the floor, screaming in agony. He had gotten back to his hive at around six, but then he had fallen asleep. He saw Terezi approach from around the corner.

"Terezi!" He yelled. She looked puzzled for a moment, then approached Karkat. "Karkles?" She said. She slapped him in the face. "Ow!" Karkat exclaimed. "Okay, I guess I deserved that one, but please let me explain why I was late!" Terezi snorted.

"Late? You're a little more than LATE! I was about to go to bed!" Karkat groaned.

"Great, I disturb Sollux when he's still asleep, and now I disturb you when you're about to go to sleep!" He cursed himself. "You were with Sollux all day? You blew me off!"

And so began the long and laborious task of Karkat trying to explain everything to his moirail. It took a while, and Terezi often had to take breaks for her laughing became too much sometimes. Afterwards, she grabbed Karkat's arm to her nose and inhaled deeply.

"Amazing. It's just incredible!" She breathed. She knew something smelled different about him.

"I'm still terrified, though" Karkat admitted. "I'm not off the hook yet. Sollux said that this would last for a few weeks. By then, if I'm accepted as a Threshecutioner, they could discover me before I have a chance to take another injection, or they could find the needle."

He sat down hard onto Terezi's couch, and she sat next to him. "Karkat," She said in a very soft, but serious and understanding tone. "You'll be okay. I promise you. This may not have been the smartest decision you ever made, but just remember, you have me and Sollux and Nepeta and all the others to help you, okay?"

Karkat swallowed, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Yeah." He sighed. He stood up. "Yeah, you're right." He walked to a nearby wall. Terezi was close behind. There was a slight tension in the air. Karkat looked over his shoulder at her. There was a time when he would have liked to call her his Matesprite. But those days were over. _I think. _No, he couldn't start thinking of that now. She was a good moirail, the best there was. And she was right. He would be okay.

"Terezi, thanks for everything, but I really should go."

At hearing this, Terezi looked slightly disappointed, but she nodded her head. "Yeah, ok." She lead him outside. It was always hard for him to navigate the complicated tree limbs and sprawling branches alone. Once he was safely on the ground, he turned and waved at Terezi. She rushed forwards and hugged him tight. "Remember what I said, Okay Karkat?" And with that, she let go and disappeared into the trees again, leaving Karkat with nothing but the remaining warmth of a hug and the world on his shoulders.

**A/N:** Why is everyone so mean to Karkat when they write fan-fictions?

XD Hehehe, see you later :D


	4. The Empress's trials

**A/N: Okay, so I updated the day before yesterday, and I wanted to update again today, because I really like this so far! I've had about 110 readers so far, which is great! And also, I've had three reviews and 3 follows! So thank you guys XD Okay, let's just start chapter 4 already!**

**The empress's trials**

The guard followed her into her chamber again. She waved him off with a dismissive twitch of her hand and stretched out on her bed. She swished her hand about her head, feeling the familiar tug of the water surrounding her. She breathed in the fresh, salty liquid and relaxed. This was the only place where she got any privacy. It wasn't easy ruling a planet. Everyone either wanted to kill you, bow down to you or kiss you, and it was very annoying. There were people that she missed. Missed a lot in fact. Her moirail before she was moved back to the palace. She missed him the most. She still had a photo of him by her dresser. It was in a frame made of seashells that he himself had actually made a few sweeps ago for her wriggling day. She looked at the photo now. For the first, last and only time in his life, he was wearing a huge, goofy grin. It was just for the photo, but he looked to cute. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and it exposed his one red eye and one blue. She missed Sollux so much! There was a sudden rap at her door, snapping her back from her thoughts.

"Come in!" She yelled. The huge golden door creaked open. Her advisor waked in. He swaggered through the room confidently, as if he had known the young empress all of his life. Which he had.

"Fef, don't forget, you need to go to the Threshecutioner trails today. The'll be wwaiting for you at noon, ok?" Eridan Ampora, royal advisor and Kismesis of the Empress herself commanded the troll he stood in front of. He was _still _arrogant and annoying.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Feferi replied. She found it hard to get excited over something so boring. She would go, watch some trolls swing some blades, pick the ones with the most blood on their hands at the end and go home. It was the same last sweep and it would be the same this sweep. She looked up and saw Eridan still standing in the room, as if he were waiting for something.

"Uhh… Eridan? You can go now." He frowned and stalked out of the room, muttering something under his breath. Geez, what was his problem?

…

The test was over in an instant. Karkat stood in line at the entrance to a huge field, just outside the building he signed up in. The queue was rapidly shrinking, and he was getting closer and closer to the guard that would test his blood. Nervousness gnawed at his consciousness, but he flayed it away as best he could by focusing on the needle hole he had injected into himself hours earlier. It hadn't hurt the second time, which was a relief. The puncture that the needle had left in the skin was easily covered by the black and red jumpsuit that he had been fitted with for the trails. It reached just above his ankles and just before his wrists. He was wearing heavy black boots with red laces and had been fitted with thick leather gloves. It was quite comfortable, if not incredibly warm. Soon, too soon, it was his turn. He stepped forwards nervously and looked the guard in the eye. He tried his best to keep a straight face as the burly troll pulled up Karkat's sleeve violently and slashed a knife through his exposed forearm. For a moment, Karkat couldn't bear to look. The guard shoved his back and told his to proceed to the next guard, who would treat the gash. When he looked at the wound, he was both relieved and fascinated to see bolts of teal-blood coming from it. He was safe, at least for now. When he reached the next guard, he shoved a small, thin tube into the cut on Karkat's arm. It stung for a few seconds, and Karkat had to grit his teeth to prevent himself from wincing. A blast of orange serum shot up through the tube and into Karkat's arm. He didn't feel a thing after that, but within seconds, the gash was gone. He continued to the field ahead. He could see many other trolls with sickles slashing at mannequins and each other. Most of them moved with cutting brutality and force, and even from a distance, Karkat could see that they were out to kill. It was going to be a long day. He saw a huge metal box full of sickles for the wannabe-Threshecutioners. Most of them were caked with multi-coloured blood, and others were covered in rust. Luckily, he had brought his own weapon. After a few minutes, a whistle blew and all of the trolls gathered in the centre of the field. About 20 huge guards were crowding one person. They moved aside and revealed their charge. Karkat gasped when he saw. It was none other than Feferi Peixes, his friend from when he was younger. Of course, she had taken over as empress of Alternia. He was about to wave when he thought of two very valid reasons not to:

A: If anyone waved or interacted with the empress, they would be culled on the spot.

B: If Feferi saw him, his cover would be blown and he would be murdered.

So, waving was probably _not_ a good idea. Instead, he shrunk back and tried to hide himself behind one particularly tall troll with a very bloody looking sickle. A Short but fierce-looking man stepped up in front of the crowd. He frowned, but it looked as though that was his neutral expression. He raised a megaphone and began to yell into it.

"Alright wrigglers! I am Captain Elrond Hurnus. And _you_ are the only trolls on the _planet_ brave enough to try to be the best. You are here because you want to be the toughest. The elite. The bravest. That is not a question. While you are here, you will do everything and anything that I say. If I say 'jump' you say 'how high?' If I want you to run, then by gog, you had better run. I am in charge here. This is not up for debate." Karkat could tell that this guy meant business. Captain Hurnus continued.

"So, today, you will be showing your skills. You will give everything you have got today. You will be judged on fitness, stamina, skill with a sickle, stealth and manoeuvring. If we decide that you are _not_ a complete weakling, and that you may even have some potential to not get killed within the first 30 seconds of a battle, then you will be considered to be put into a flay-squad and made into a real Threshecutioner. Now is the time to drop the antics, princesses. Now is the time to toughen up, grow a bone-bulge and show your stuff for your planet. Time to go hard or go home. We will start you off with something easy. Sparring. Now everybody PARTNER UP!"

Immediately, everybody began to pair off. Karkat looked around, not really sure of what to do. Should he just grab somebody? Should he wait to be picked? He didn't get a chance to decide. His arm was suddenly snatched and he was dragged backwards. The grip on his arm was vice-like and he couldn't break free. What a great start. He turned around to protest, but froze when he saw the face of the person gripping his arm.

"Kaaaarkaaaat!" The other troll exclaimed.

Karkat gasped. "V-Vriska?"

…

Terezi was sitting with Sollux in her hive. She had invited him over earlier; she needed somebody to talk to. Sollux was sitting quietly, not even complaining about the fact that he was interrupted from his lunch. It was as if he understood.

"And then, he came. He came at 10 o clock! I was about to get into bed! Then he said he'd been with you all day and I was furious! But then he told me all this stuff about Threshecutioners and changing his blood colour, then I wasn't sure what to think. Then I smelled it. He'd actually changed his blood colour! To the same colour as mine!"

"Yeah, I thought you might have liked that part. For the next few weeks, Karkat Vantas is a teal-blood."

"Wow… and, you know… I was going to talk to him that day. I know that it's not really important now, seeing as though all of this crazy stuff is going on, but it was pretty important to me at the time."

"What's up, TZ?"

"I don't want to be his moirail anymore."

…

The Empress sat atop a huge, makeshift throne. Soon, she would begin to round the field to get a better look at the fighting trolls. Some looked pretty violent. Even after the first exercise, sparring, twenty of the four-hundred trolls were dead. It was pretty brutal, but to make to the top, she guessed that they had to be. There was one pair that she had been watching from a distance. She actually knew one of them from when she was a kid. Vriska Serket. They had never been particularly close, but it was good to see her nonetheless. She was incredible with a sickle, but her partner was better. It was a male, she was sure, but she couldn't quite make out his features, he was too far away. His horns, she could tell were pretty nubby. Kind of like somebody she knew… but no. He had mutant blood, and he would have never got past the blood test. Although, she had never met anybody with horns as nubby as Karkat's…

…

Vriska swiped her blade towards Karkat's face, but he easily dodged. HE felt so natural here. As if this was what he was meant to do. He leapt up and swung his sickle. Vriska side-stepped to the left and tried to come around to Karkat's back. She wasn't quick enough, and Karkat managed to knock her in the ribs with the butt of the weapon. She stumbled back, slightly winded. He waited for a few moments, incredibly aware that Feferi could spot him at any moment. He tried to keep his back turned to her. Luckily, Vriska hadn't asked questions. She probably knew about Sollux's Immatus. She was a huge bitch, but she wasn't stupid. Somewhere in the distance, Karkat saw one troll get decapitated by his partner. Oh my gog. That was a bit over the top! In his moment of distraction, Vriska managed to sneak up on Karkat. She swung the sickle straight at his head, and he swung around just in time for the blade to make contact with his face. The blunt, rusty blasé ripped through his skin, and he fell to the ground, yelling in agony. His eyes were covered in teal, but he could just make out Vriska's laughing face turn to that of somewhat concern, before reverting to laughing again. The noise around Karkat went fuzzy, and soon he was falling from consciousness. Slowly, everything went from Teal to black.

…

Vriska looked down on Karkat unconscious on the grass. He was supposed to have trained all of his life for this, right? Hadn't he trained with a sickle all his life? It was his weapon of choice! Obviously, he wasn't that good. He looked so funny on the ground like that. His blood (obviously coloured with some of Sollux's shoddy Immatus stuff) was covering his whole face. The wound stretched from just above one eye to just above his chin on the other side of his face. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were only just shut. No medics rushed out to help him. They wouldn't just for some kid that wasn't good enough not to get critically injured. He probably passed out from shock, the injury wasn't big enough to knock him out. She would just have to wait for him to come around. Until then, she found a mannequin and began to spar with that.

…

Feferi stopped watching Vriska and her partner when she took him down. If he had been paying attention, then he would have easily blocked Vriska, but instead, she hit him with a dirty move when his back was turned. She would need to find out the mysterious trolls name. She called over the guard who was in charge of the sign-ups.

"Who's the one with Nubby horns, short, spiky black hair?"

"Uhhh…" He quickly scanned over his sheet.

"That would be… Karkat Vantas. Age, 10 sweeps, Teal-blood, your majesty."

Feferi looked shocked. What was Karkat doing here? He wasn't a teal-blood! She decided not to say anything until she knew exactly what was going on. She certainly didn't want to get her old friend culled.

"Ok, thank you." She said, and began to step around the crowd. Once she came to Vriska, she called her over.

"Vriska!" She yelled, grinning and waving. Vriska looked up scowling, but her expression soon turned to a grin too when she saw Feferi.

"Feferi! How are you!" She rushed over to the empress.

"I'm good, thanks! Look, I just wanted to know…" She pointed to the unconscious troll on the grass.

"Is that.. Is his name…"

"Yes. It is Karkat. And he is such an IDIOT for being here."

"Well, I won't argue with that. But how did he get past the blood test?"

Vriska leaned in close, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Sollux gave him some injection that colours your blood. It's called Immatus. But you don't need to worry about other trolls using it to get in, because only Sollux knows how to get it!"

Feferi was conflicted. Something needed to be done about that, but then again, she had never liked the idea of not letting mutant-bloods into the Threshecutioners. She decided to leave it for now. Besides, if she made any action against it, it would mean punishing Sollux. She nodded sceptically and continued her rounds.

**A/N: this is the longest chapter yet! I hope you liked it! I have a lot of free time over the next few weeks, so I should update pretty often X)**


	5. More trials

**A/N: welcome to chapter 5! To everyone that reviewed: Thank you! And don't worry; I plan to keep this story going for as long as possible! (obviously I don't own any of the characters!) ((Apart from the Captain)) (((Duh, otherwise it wouldn't be a fan-fiction!))) XD**

**More trials**

"Terethi, you can't be seriouth! you and KK are really good together! Why would you want to break up with him? He'll be so upthet!"

For the first time in long while, Sollux was really getting worked up. He really was concerned for Karkat. Terezi sighed.

"Sollux, let me finish. I said I don't want to be his moirail anymore, but that doesn't mean that he couldn't be part of one of my _other_ quadrants."

"Which one?"

"Well… you know… the… the other red one?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Sollux looked slightly surprised.

"shit. Wow, okay, I was not expecting that. Well, if I were you, I'd talk to him. Tell him how you feel, you know?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I should, huh?"

…

Karkat opened his eyes to see somebody leaning over him. His vision was still fuzzy, but he could make out long, slightly curved horns and long locks of curly black hair. He wasn't sure what had just happened. Last thing he remembered was… Vriska? Something about Vriska. And… Feferi? Wait… that's right. He was trialling for the Threshecutioners! He had been sparring with Vriska and she had knocked him out. He tried to sit up, and he realised the person that was standing over him. Feferi! He covered his face quickly and scrambled backwards. All of that was pointless. She had seen him while he was unconscious. Maybe, however, the blood had covered most of his face? She smiled at him.

"Hey Karkat! Long-time no see!" She winked at him and whispered "It's okay, I won't tell the guards."

Her expression turned stern "But it was a _very_ risky thing to do! Honestly, what _possessed_ you to come here! Do you know what those guards would do to you if they found out? Not even I could stop them! I may be in charge of the rest of the planet, but the Threshecutioners belong to the guards and to Captain Hurnus!" Upon hearing this, Karkat felt stupid. Suddenly, he felt angry towards the empress.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that, huh? How was _I_ Supposed to know every rule and regulation that you like and don't like? I took a risk to try and do something I had always wanted to do, and I get looked down on by all of my friends! You, Terezi, Sollux. I had to stop Terezi from dying of laughter when I told her, and none of this has been very easy! Look at me, I've got a huge gash across my face, my blood is the wrong colour and the Empress is treating me like a naughty grub!" Karkat huffed and stood up. Feferi looked shocked and slightly sad. Vriska was giggling.

"Ok, Karkrab, I'm so sorry! But, it's true!"

Karkat scowled and turned away. Feferi frowned. She was, for the first time in a long while, getting mad.

"Fine! Be that way! But just remember, I'm doing you a huge favour!" and with that, she stalked off.

"Pissing off the empress: never a good idea, Karkat." Vriska said.

"Now, if you're not too injured, then we still have some trials to attend to." She raised her eyebrows at him. Although the gash still stung, he decided he could treat it later, and returned to the sparring. He managed to get a few good shots at Vriska, and she ended up pretty beaten, too. It was a pretty good way to vent out his somewhat unreasonable yet somewhat perfectly justified anger. They were only able to spar for a few minutes before Hurnus was yelling through his megaphone again. This time, he was holding a clipboard.

"Everybody GATHER ROUND! Alright, that sparring session probably wasn't the worst that I've seen in my whole life, but it was pretty close! Even though some of you weaklings _died_ during the process, the outcome was just bearable! Now, I need all you little grubs to follow me!"

Hurnus began to move away and the crowd followed. He lead the group across the field. He stopped in front of a large metal plate that was raised about two centimeters above ground level. It was circular, and was held in place by large bolts around the perimeter. There was a metal grate in the middle with hinges on the left side, but Karkat couldn't see anything down there apart from blackness.

"This," Hurnus announced, this time not bothering to reach for his megaphone, "Is your next test.

Hurnus kneelt down and yanked on the grate, towards the right side. With a loud creak, it opened. Karkat, standing relatively close to the front, still couldn't see anything, but he could sense that there was a lot of space down there.

"One by one," yelled out the Captain, "I will take you down here and you will complete the task. I say one at a time, because I don't want all you worms figuring out what you'll have to do before your turn, because that would be _unfair_, now, wouldn't it?"

Karkat couldn't help but wonder what was down there. Whatever it was, it probably wouldn't be very fun.

"Everybody form a line. Single file, and NO SPEAKING!" Hurnus belted out. The trolls complied. Karkat was somewhere near the middle of the line, with Vriska directly in front of him. The frit guy in the line stepped forward. He looked nervous, grabbing his right arm with his left. Captain Hurnus gestured for him to go first and slowly, the trembling troll-boy descended into the grate. It creaked shut behind him once the Captain was in, too. One of the guards came over and placed a large foam-like mat over the grate to shut out any noise. Karkat found his eyes fixated on the metal plate. What was down there? Some kind of monster? An obstacle course? After a few minutes, Hurnus opened the grate again. The foam mat slid off, and the troll from before rushed off to a nearby building. Karkat couldn't see much of him, but he looked as if he had endured quite a beating down there. The next troll in line stepped forwards. After they went down, the guards replaced the mat. This continued for a while. It must have been hours. Sometimes, the Captain would re-emerge alone, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, as if to say, "what are ya' gonna do?" The line kept getting shorter, and soon, it was Vriska's turn. She turned and winked at Karkat before literally jumping into the grate before Hurnus even called her up. He smiled and looked rather impressed. After a little while, Hurnus opened the grate. He stepped out into the daylight again and shook his head. Karkat's heart sank for a moment. Was Vriska one of the unlucky ones? But then, he noticed (and felt kind of stupid for not noticing it before) that he was grinning. As if on cue, Vriska emerged behing him, laughing and grinning hugely. Before she headed off to the building, she came by Karkat and whispered, "Easy-peasy, Karkaaat!" somehow, this didn't put Karkat at ease.

…

Feferi watched as Vriska emerged from the hole. She smiled. Of course Vriska would make it through, she was a natural fighter. Feferi decided to put in a special recommendation for Vriska. Obviously, she knew what was down there. It wouldn't be easy for most people. It was Karkat's turn next. That ungrateful little… no… no she shouldn't get angry at him. He had just been pretty badly injured and he had had a rough week. She couldn't blame him for lashing out at her. He was just lucky that the guards hadn't been there. She watched eagerly, most of her hoping to gog he would be okay.

…

Sollux had gotten home from Terezi's. Right now, he was wondering how Karkat was going. He had been at the trials for more than 5 hours, and it was getting into early/mid-afternoon. He opened up his computer. Then he closed it. He headed over to his desk and picked up a book. Then he closed it. He looked out of his window. Then he shut the curtains. He was still thinking about what Terezi had said about Karkat. He knew that they had a complicated relationship, but what would Karkat think? It really wasn't any of his business, but he still couldn't stop thinking about it.

…

Karkat glimpsed behind him and saw Feferi standing behind the long line. He felt a pang of guilt for lashing out at her, but before he could dwell on it, he was shoved into the grate by Captain Hurnus. He fell about a meter, before thudding onto a platform below. The platform seemed to be suspended in mid-air, but when he felt around, he realised that it was protruding from the wall beside him. It was cold, and the air smelled damp and earthy. He reached underneath the platform, but couldn't feel anything underneath. The small slab of rock he was sitting on could snap off of the wall at any moment. Hurnus jumped down next to him.

"Get a move on, princess!" He barked. Karkat scanned what he could of the platform in the dim light and saw a metal ladder sticking out from the side. He began to climb. It was completely dark, but he could feel a vast emptiness around him. This underground cavern was enormous. Rung after rung, foot after foot, he slowly made his way to the bottom. He was very far underground by that point. Below his feet, smooth concrete stretched out in front of him. Hurnus came down behind him and slapped something against the wall. A loud buzz filled the air for a moment, then abruptly cut off. The, one by one, each with a loud '_shuck,' _huge, fluorescent lights began to flicker on. Karkat shielded his eyes from the blinding light. When he opened them again, he was faced with a huge bunker, possibly 100 meters high. Yes, he was very far underground. Inside the cavern, directly in front of him, stretched out a huge obstacle course. It began with a ladder with rotted rungs that were broken in many places. It lead onto a metal platform, and from that, a long cargo net, stretched quite far from the platform, so he would have to jump to it. It was horizontal and was spread over a short distance to the next platform. After that, there was a gap. It was about forty meters up, so if he fell, he doubted he would be able to get back up. Even further than that, Karkat couldn't see. But whatever it was, it looked pretty dangerous.

"Go!" Yelled the Captain. Karkat jumped from where he was standing and leapt onto the ladder. The first rung broke when he stood on it, sticking into his foot. The pain was incredible, and there was line of teal streaking from the wound. It was only in by a couple of mili-meters, so Karkat was able to yank it out. He would just have to put up with the pain. He gritted his teeth and ploughed on, breathing heavily. What a _great_ start. The rest of the ladder was okay, apart from one other snapping, but he was already to the next rung to feel any effect. He reached the platform after about thirst seconds. He stood for a moment, a little blood falling onto the metal around him. Thousands of swears, curses and profanities were swirling through his head, but he kept going, despite the pain. He stepped onto the cargo net, tripped, then grabbed the net with his hands. He went over each square of the net, each time looking down and seeing the breath-taking drop below him. He snapped his head forward to see that the rope on the other side was fraying slightly. He sped up, reaching the end and collapsing in a heap on the next platform. He stood up. Looked down. There was a huge empty space below him, and a million miles below, there was a hard concrete floor. He caught his breath. He was sure he was being timed on this one. He took a deep breath. He tried to close his eyes, but they were glued to the gap between him and the next platform. He took a few steps back to the very edge of the metal he was standing on, ran forward to gain as much speed as possible and jumped.

**A/N: and that's the end of chapter five! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I'll update tomorrow or the day after, depending on how long the chapter is. See you then!**


	6. even MORE trials

**A/N: here we are at chapter 6! Wow, this is the first thing that I started but didn't give up on after about four pages XD. So, the usual, thanks to everyone who read, rated, reviewed, followed, favourite, all that stuff! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you….. CHAPTER 6:**

Even MORE trials.

A cute little cat lady sat at her desk wondering about her friend. Had he ended up taking the Immatus? Had he gone to the trials? Had he… had he come out okay? She decided to ask Sollux. He would know. If not, then maybe Terezi, or even Aradia. Aradia seemed to know everything. She opened up Trollian and clicked the little circle next to the words, "twinArmageddons."

**arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]**

**AC: :33 *AC sniffs around currriously before entering the lair of the mysterious two headed dragon!***

**TA: *TA is NOT falliing for that bull-2hit RPing 2tuff.***

**TA: Not happeniing.**

**AC: :33 Aww, ok then.**

**AC: :33 *AC looks sad :(***

**TA: what do you want?**

**AC: :33 I just wanted to know about Karkitty!**

**TA: what about "Karkiity" ?**

**AC: :33 Did he take the Immatus? Did he go to the trials?**

**TA: he HAD to go to the trial2. He had already giiven his name (hi2 real one, the iidiiot.) and they would have dragged hiim there iif he diidn't go. **

**TA: and ye2. He diid take the iimatu2. For the next few week2, Karkat Vanta2 i2 a teal blood. **

**AC: :33 Just like Terezi!**

**TA: hehehe. Yeah, ju2t like TZ.**

**AC: :33 what's that suppurrst to mean, Pawllux?**

**TA: what?**

**AC: :33 you sounded really sly when you said that bit about Terezi…**

**TA: how would you know what ii 2ounded liike when you can't even hear me, dip shit?**

**AC: :33 Okay, okay, No need to be mean! **

**TA: 2orry.**

**AC: :33 but, you did type it as if you know something. **

**AC: :33 about Karkitty and Terezi, maybe?**

**AC: :33 could it be..**

**AC: :33 possibly…**

**AC: :33 a new development?**

**AC: :33 in the quadrant area?**

**TA: how diid you fiigure ****_that_**** out?**

**AC: :33 never question the master shipper, Pawllux. Now, what is it?! **

**TA: nothiing.**

**AC: :33 No it isn't! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Pretty please?**

**TA: iit'2 nothiing, 2o 2hut up about iit. **

**AC: :33 Come on, you can tell me! **

**TA: iif ii do, wiil you 2HUT UP?**

**AC: :33 yup!**

**TA: look, ii really 2houldn't tell anyone. **

**AC: :33 Awwww, come on!**

**TA: fiine. TZ has a crush on KK.**

**AC: :33 Everyone knows that, though! They're in a quadrant already! They're moirails!**

**TA: No. Not that way. Flu2hed. **

**AC: :33 OHMYGOG! Really?**

**TA: yeah, but KK doe2n't know, do you had better not go around flapping that chiitiinou2 wiindhole about iit at everyone you 2ee!**

**AC: :33 Don't worry, I won't!**

**AC: :33 I should go!**

**TA: you better remember what ii 2aiid, NE!**

**twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]**

Nepeta was buzzing. Karkat and Terezi? In the flushed quadrant? Of course, she was a little disappointed that that particular quadrant of Karkat's wasn't left over for a particular cat-troll. She would do good on Sollux's demand that she would not tell anyone. She would not go around telling everyone! That would be a horrible thing to do! She was not a gossip. Although she was the ultimate shipper, she was _not_ a gossip. She wouldn't tell anybody. Apart from maybe… Yeah, she couldn't keep anything from her moirail. She had to tell him! But ONLY him.

**arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT]**

**AC: :33 *AC jumps up and down playfully on equius's lap, because she had exciting, but strictly confidential news!***

**CT: D - Hello. **

**AC: :33 Aww, no one ever wants to RP with me! *AC sighs.* **

**AC: :33 anyway, I have news! A brand new ship that may sail very soon!**

**CT: D - I do not really have time for you news. Your ships do not really concern me, now do they?**

**AC: :33 No, not this time, but I though you would be interested!**

**AC: :33 It's Terezi and Karkat!**

**CT: D - The teal b100d and the mutant b100d? Fine. Continue.**

**AC: :33 Well, Terezi and Karkat are moirails.**

**CT: D - I know. I am e%ceptionally up to date with our friends quadrants. **

**AC: :33 Lol! Bs!**

**CT: D - You will stop using such 100d language, even if it had been abbreviated. **

**AC: *sigh* Anyway, now Terezi wants to be his matesprite!**

**CT: D - Disgusting. A teal b100d being in any quadrant with a mutant b100d is an e%cellent example of a breach of the hemospectrum. It was put into place for a reason, you know.**

**AC: :33 You and your obsession with the hemospectrum! Well, I'm happy for them. I hope their ship sails far!**

**ArsenicCatnip [AC] ceased trolling centaursTesticle [CT]**

Nepeta felt a little bit bad after that. Equius wasn't being too good about the whole situation, and the fact that she had even told him made her feel guilty. Only minutes before, Sollux had made her promise that she wouldn't tell, and the first thing she had done was tell somebody! She hoped with all her heart that Equius wouldn't blab to anyone.

…

One hand slid to the surface of the smooth metal of the next platform. It was slippery. Wet, unlike the others. His other hand was hanging from his side. Luckily, there was a small metal groove that his fingers managed to catch on to. He gritted his teeth and yanked his other arm up. Slowly, he managed to get a leg up, and then he was on. Karkat stretched his back and looked for the next obstacle. A rope was hanging from a wooden rod by the next platform. The knot on the end was caught on Karkat's. He picked it up. Trying and failing not to look down, he held fast to the rope and jumped. For one moment, he was weightless, then he was falling. The rope was long, and he went down about half of the distance to the floor. Then the rope began to shorten. He was getting closer to the next platform. He reached out a hand to a small handle protruding from his destination. He struggled from the rope and onto the next platform. Once he got up, he saw the next obstacle. There were about twelve poles sticking up from the ground. Underneath and around them were long, spiked rods, each varying in length. The poles were each about as wide as a dinner plate, and they looked rusty and not very strong. To get to the final platform, he would have to step over the top of each of the poles, trying to keep his balance as he went. If he fell, he would be impaled on the rods below. Karkat gulped, took a deep breath and felt the wound on his face where Vriska had slashed him earlier. It had started to bleed again. It still stung. So did the pain in his leg from where the ladder had snapped. His breathing was shaky, and he was quite tired from the rest of the course, the previous sparring session and the fact that he had gotten no sleep the night before. All of these would count towards his balance. At the moment, things weren't looking to good. Carefully, he put his foot onto the first pole. He held it there for a moment, internally debating when he should take his weight off of the platform. Just as he was about to, the pole jerked under his other foot. He yanked it off as quickly as he could and watched in horror as it descended into the ground. He quickly figured that there was only a short time he had to step on each pole. They were triggered with pressure plates. There was absolutely no way he would be able to do this without falling. He looked around frantically, trying to find something that would help the situation. Suddenly, he had an idea. Probably not a very good one, and chances were, it would never work, but he could still try. Slowly, Karkat reached over to the second pole. Instead of pushing down on it, however, he pulled on it. He was right in his earlier assumption that the poles themselves weren't very strong. Tugging as hard as he could without falling, he managed to break the pole free from its grip on the ground. He couldn't believe his luck. The actual pole, although rusty and with holes in several places, was very heavy, but he soon managed to heave in up onto the platform. A voice arose from below.

"Kid, what are you playing at?" It was Captain Hurnus, and he didn't sound too pleased with Karkat damaging his course. Karkat didn't answer. He shoved one end of the pole over the edge and out over the other poles. As soon as more than half the pole was out, it began to tip. Karkat shoved his entire weight onto the other end to keep it balanced. Soon, he had managed to manoeuvre it so that one end was on his platform, and the other on the next. He dropped onto the poll. He was hanging, suspended above hundreds of huge spikes. The poll kept rolling from side to side, and there was no railing on either platform, so he had to keep shifting his weight. It took a while, but he finally got to the very last platform. He looked down at Hurnus, who was fuming and yelling profanities. Karkat stood on the final platform, teal blood dripping from his face and leg. He looked to see his last challenge on the course. There was nothing. He looked down. All there was was the cold concrete below and a sign painted in white paint on the ground that read,

"_Jump."_

_…_

**caligulasAquarium [CA] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]**

**CA: hey, Sol.**

**TA: oh my god. What the hell do you want, Ampora?**

**CA: Oh, you knoww. Quadrant troubles.**

**TA: and why doe2 that not 2urprii2e me?**

**CA: Shut up sol. I really need some advice here, and you're the only one online.**

**TA: no. Go away.**

**CA: sol, pleeeeeease?**

**TA: *sigh* fine! But I am being 2uch a freakiing pu2hover today!**

**CA: anywway, I'm having some trouble wwith Fef. She's supposed to be my Kismesis, but I don't hate her, and sometimes, she acts like she doesn't even like me at all! **

**TA: Gee, I wonder why?**

**CA: And she's alwways talkin about you. She talks about how you wwere the best moirail, and how she misses you all the time. It's gettin really annoying.**

**TA: 2he doe2?**

**CA: yes. And she never spends time with me! It's as if she really hates me, and only hates me!**

**TA: you know what, I wouldn't be 2urprised if 2he didn't want to be your Kii2me2ii2. 2he ha2 good ta2te iin people. 2he hate2 you, ii hate you, ii hone2tly don't know anyone that doe2 liike you! **

**CA: Nevver mind. I should have never asked you. **

**TA: No, you 2houldn't. Anythiing el2e?**

**CA: yes. Did you hear about Terezi and Karkat?**

**TA: what about them…**

**CA: Terezi has a flushed crush on Kar!**

**TA: 2HIIT. WHO TOLD YOU?**

**CA: Equius. And Nepeta told him**

**TA: oh, well of cour2e iit would be Equiius! You two are all buddy-buddy now, aren't you?**

**CA: no, we're friends, you land-dwwellin douche. **

**TA: you know what? You can go 2tuff your2elf, ii need to have a word wiith 2omeone. **

**twinArmageddons [TA] ceased pestering caligulasAquarium [CA]**

**twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]**

**TA: LEIIJON? YOU THERE?**

**A/N: end of chapter 6! I'll try to update tomorrow!**


	7. Wounded

**A/N: Haha! Second update in one day! okay, so I actually made it to chapter 7! Nothing to say much here, really, so here you go!:**

wounded

The jump looked impossible. There was a large wall a few meters in front of the course, so if he jumped, he couldn't go far. There was no other way off of the course unless he went all the way back. He turned to go, but just as he did, the pole slid off the two platforms, landing with a loud clank below, where Captain Hurnus would undoubtedly retrieve it. A forty meter fall? Onto the cold, hard concrete? Karkat couldn't imagine it. Down below, the painted sign seemed to taunt him. He looked down once again. This time, he could make out something else that was next to the sign. What was Hurnus playing at? There was another metal spike down there! Just one, and he guessed the aim of this last challenge was to avoid hitting it. It was slightly to the next to the sign, so it shouldn't be too hard to avoid if he jumped. There was really no way to avoid it. Karkat remembered hearing somewhere that if you fell on your side, you could take most of the impact. He braced himself, but didn't run up this time, because he didn't want to risk hitting the wall. He jumped. The fall seemed to last for an eternity, but not enough time for Karkat to turn completely so he was on his side. He could see the ground rushing up to meet him, and he wasn't ready. He could see his face plunging towards the spike. He panicked for a moment, but managed to sick his hands out, resulting in his body moving to the side slightly. He hit. The impact was shocking, and for a moment, all he felt was absolute pain screaming through his body, flaying away coherent thought. He then blacked out.

…

He woke a few minutes later. His head felt groggy, and his vision was blurred. He tried to sit up, but two things kept him down: Incredible pain in his head, and an absolute searing pain in his left hand. He glanced over to his hand, and gasped when he saw that it had been impaled upon the spike. He screamed in agony and blacked out again.

…

Feferi waited patiently next to the guards, but she was very anxious. Where was Karkat? He had taken quite a lot longer than the others. She couldn't say exactly how long, but he had taken a while. She was worried about him, despite his really hurtful outburst before. Suddenly, the shaft was opened. Hurnus climbed up, with Karkat over his shoulder, unconscious. What had happened? And what was wrong with his hand? His arm was covered in teal blood and it was dripping onto the floor. His right ankle also had a pretty nasty gash on it. Hurnus took Karkat to the building with the others, unceremoniously dropping the unconscious troll in a plastic chair before heading out to the next recruit. Hurnus approached the empress.

"Hello, your highness…" He stammered. For the first time ever, he looked tounge-tied and humble.

"Hello Captain" Feferi greeted him with a smile, "What do you need?"

"Well, I just needed to ask, Empress, what the name of that young troll I just took in. I would have asked him myself as I do after each person has completed the course, but he was unconscious."

"Ah, yes! Well, his name is Karkat Vantas, and as you can see, he's a teal-blood, in case you needed to know."

"Thank you, your highness."

"Oh, also, will he be okay?"

"Probably. His hand was impaled on the ending spike, after the final drop, and he was stabbed in the ankle by a broken rung on the ladder at the beginning. He also hit his head pretty hard at the end, so he may be slightly concussed."

"Oh… I see. Well, thank you, Captain."

"And thank you, your highness!" With that, the Captain hurried off.

…

**twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]**

TA: LEIJON? YOU THERE?

AC: :33 Oh! Hi Pawllux!

TA: cut the crap, Nepeta. Ii am pretty freaking pii22ed at you riight now

AC: :33 why?

TA: Well, II ju2t talked to Ampora. He heard from Equiu2, who heard from YOU that A certain Pyrope had a flu2hed cru2h on a certain Vanta2. Would you care to elaborate?

AC: :33 …

AC: :33 Pawllux, I'm so sorry!

AC: :33 I only told Equius because I can't keep anything from him! I didn't think he would tell anyone! Least of all, Ampurra!

TA: Nepeta, you are 10 SWEEPS OLD. You are a bit two old to be gossiping to your friends!

AC: :33 Well, maybe YOU shouldn't have told anyone!

TA: You pre22ured me iinto iit!

AC: :33 I only asked! If you had not told me, I wouldn't have done anything about it! You had nothing to gain!

TA: You kept a2kiing and a2kiing and never 2toppiing! How was II going to 2ay no! You would've just a2ked again everytiime we 2poke!

AC: :33 No I would NOT.

TA: 2crew thii2 2hiit.

**twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling arsenicCatnip [AC]**

Sollux sat back and tried to relax, his eyes glowing slightly red and blue. He couldn't believe that Nepeta had told Equius. Weren't they all a little too old for gossip like that? There was a little voice in the back of his mind reasoning that Nepeta was, in her own way, right. _He_ had told. _He _told Nepeta, who in turn, told someone else, who had told someone else. He had let Terezi down. She was going to be so pissed. As if on cue, a pester-log opened up.

**gallowsCallibrator [GC] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]**

GC: Sollux? Er1d4n just troll3d m3. C4n 1 pl34s3 h4v3 a word?

Shit.

…

Vriska leaned over Karkat. She was sat on the chair next to him, and he wasn't yet aware that she was there. About half an hour ago, Captain Hurnus brought him in, completely unconscious. She had been trying to wake him ever since. The Captain had told her what happened after the final drop, and said that he was possible slightly concussed. She was trying to wake him because she knew that people with concussion should NOT go to sleep. So far, he had been totally unresponsive. She was getting slightly worried. He looked very pale, and his hand was still bleeding. Hurnus had needed to yank it off of the spike. There was no nurse in the small building. It was just a waiting room to sit in until you were okay to leave. Vriska could have left a long while ago, but she had wanted to wait for Karkat. She had flew through the obstacle course. Any normal troll would have struggled, but Vriska was no normal troll. She had all the luck. _All_ of it. Although, unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for Karkat. She called his name softly once more, but he didn't stir. She was getting bored. She walked over to a water cooler and filled up a cup. She dipped in a finger and grinned. She strode back towards Karkat. Raising the cup slowly and dramatically, she tipped its contents on Karkat's face. His eyes flickered open for a moment, and he said something brilliant that was something along the lines of "Hu… mmmfuhhhnn?" before closing his eyes again. He was obviously injured a lot worse than Vriska originally thought. Sighing, she walked over the a lady-troll who was sitting behind a desk at the front.

"Now, you wouldn't happen to have a wheel-barrow I could borrow, would you? Me and my friend need to be going home." Vriska purred in her sweetest voice. The lady behind the counter frowned and looked over at Karkat.

"Are you sure he should be leaving yet?"

"Very. He's just tired."

"I think you should wait for him to wake up."

"I think I should not leave him here where he will potentially die." It was an exaggeration, but it worked. Soon, Vriska and Karkat (Karkat lying in a wheel-barrow, completely oblivious to his surroundings) were heading out of the same door that Karkat had walked into one week before to tell the biggest lie of his life.

…

Terezi really dug into Sollux for the next half an hour. She swore and cursed and made him feel incredibly guilty. When it was all over, Terezi decided to go for a walk. She dragged on her dragon cosplay and pulled the hood as far over her face as she could. Somehow, she ended up next to Sollux's hive. She honestly couldn't believe he had told everyone her secret! She knocked softly on his door. He answered within a few seconds. Before he had a chance to say anything, she punched him in the nose, then slammed the door herself, leaving Sollux inside with a guilty mind and yellow blood everywhere.

…

Sollux was just cleaning up the blood from his face when there was another knock on the door. He headed downstairs, this time more reluctant to open. He did anyway. He came face to face with Vriska. She was holding onto the handles of a very large wheelbarrow with a very unconscious Karkat inside.

"Holy shit, what happened?" Sollux asked, shocked.

"Well, he got stabbed in the ankle by a broken piece of wood, then he jumped, well, more fell really, forty meters off of a metal platform and onto hard concrete, also impaling his hand on a jagged piece of metal."

"Wow."

"I know."

"He'th thuch an idiot sometimes."

"Well, I did the same, apart from the injuries. It was all part of the trials."

"Oh. Well you should probably take him to the hothpital. He looks pretty badly done in."

"Yeah, I was trying to wake him for half an hour before. I think he's concussed. His hand isn't in a very good state, and he's only just stopped bleeding. He's lost a lot of blood."

"Oh my god! If he's concussed, then you need to wake him up!"

"Well, don't you think I tried!"

"Yeah, but- wait. What happened to his face?"

Sollux pointed at the huge gash still on Karkat's face.

"Oh! Yeah," Vriska said with her hand behind her head.

"That one was my fault."

"I won't ask. Anyway, we should get him to the hospital."

"Well, I had a better idea."

"What?"

"Aranea."

"Would she be able to fix him?"

"Maybe. Guess we'll just have to find out."

…

**A/N: well, I guess this chapter was mostly dialogue. But the next one will be better! Ok, I guess I'll go start doing chapter 8!**


	8. Healing

**A/N: hello again! Sorry I haven't updated in AGES! I've been really busy, and have suffered from a severe case of writer's block! Don't worry if the story is a little boring right now, because I have it all planned out! The real action will start VERY SOON! Anyway, here's chapter 8! (Btw: It probably won't make too much difference to you, but I'm going to stop beginning with an author's note!)**

**Healing**

Karkat woke up holding hands with a girl. He scrambled backwards and found that he was also on a very soft couch. The girl looked at him, and then looked around the room. Vriska was there, as well as Sollux. Terezi also stepped forwards. The girl who had been holding his hand, he recognised her as Aranea Serket, spoke.

"Well, good to see you're up, but you really should let me finish your healing. You had a very nasty bump on the head that took me quite a while to fix, and I'm still working on your hand, so just sit back and relax, please."

Karkat frowned, slightly confused. The last thing he remembered was a really high platform and the word "jump."

"Aren't I meant to be at the trials?" He asked. Vriska answered.

"You were, until you made that final jump and got your hand impaled on that last spike, while landing on your head and getting yourself many cuts and bruises. We couldn't wake you for about two or three hours. The trials were over anyway."

Karkat breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked down at his hand. He gasped, shocked at the teal coloured wound on his palm. Tentatively, he poked a finger through, and the consequence was a bolt of searing pain through his hand. He winced and stared in horror at it, before Aranea snatched it back. As soon as her hand touched it, it began to tingle.

"In about half an hour, your hand should be fine, but you will need to get some rest. You will probably have a terrible headache later on, and it will not be pleasant." She said.

…

Aranea was right. Karkat woke up in his hive several hours later, after Sollux, Terezi and Vriska had brought him there. He felt much better than before, but he was still tired and his head still hurt a little. When he finally woke, he was alone in his dark room. He could hear the soft snoring of his Lusus below, and it was drilling into his head like a jack-hammer. His brain felt as though it were hammering against his skull. So no, Aranea was not lying about the terrible headache. He lay back in his recouperacoon, the warm spoor slime enveloping his clothes. He looked down, realising that he was still wearing them and not his night-clothes. He berated himself, but did not move from the comfy embrace of the cocoon for a few minutes more. He was greeted with a chill of cold air when he rose. He headed to the bathroom and had a shower. He washed off all of the dried blood from his face and arm and leg. He flicked off the warm water and stepped from the shower, wrapping himself in a towel, then returning to his room to get into his night-clothes. Falling once again into the warm spoor slime, he relaxed, falling half-way into sleep, but being kept on the brink of reality by all of the problems going around in his head. Trying to find some straight out thought between the stabs of pain in his head, he began to reflect on the past week or so. It had all started with a stupid act of impulse. He had somehow, once again proving how much of an idiot he was, dragged himself into a horrible mess, then, as if it could get worse, he had put his friends in there with him, too. He could get Sollux killed if the guards found out about the Immatus. If the Threshecutioners accepted him, then he would need a constant supply, and how would he get that? It's not as if Threshecutioner recruits are allowed mail! He could picture it in his pounding head. In battle, feeling exposed because he would never get through without a cut or a scrape. A bullet, a knife, anything embedding itself in him. Watching in horror as his worst nightmares came true. Watching his flay-squad freeze and stare down at him in shock. Having them drag him away to a fate worse than death. He once again fell asleep, but this time, it was to images of his own eventual death.

…

Karkat woke the next morning feeling slightly better. His headache was gone, but he was physically exhausted. He would have slept in, but he had things to do. His body was riddled with aches and pains, plenty of pulled muscles and a colourful array of assorted bruises muddled in with plenty of cuts and scrapes, all covered in teal scabs. He decided to talk to somebody. Everybody from last night would no doubt be at least slightly concerned for him. He began with his faithful moirail.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] **began trolling **gallowsCallibrator [GC]

CG: TEREZI?

GC: H3Y K4RKL3S :]

CG: HEY. WHAT'S UP?

GC: YOU KNOW, N3V34 M1ND 4BOUT TH4T, HOW 4R3 YOU F33LING?

CG: FINE. I'M HURTING ALL OVER, ACTUALLY, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I GUESS I'M FINE.

GC: GOOD! I N3V3R GOT TO 4SK YOU B3FOR3, BUT HOW W3R3 TH3 TR1ALS?

CG: I CAN'T SAY THEY WERE PARTICULARLY PLEASANT. I WAS SLICED IN THE FACE WITH A SICKLE BY VRISKA, THEN I ALMOST FELL TO MY DEATH FROM A FORTY METER HIGH LEDGE, SO YEAH, NOT SO GREAT.

GC: BUT WH4T 1 M34N 1S, DO YOU TH1NK YOU W1LL H4V3 TO GO TO TR41N?

CG: HARD TO SAY. MAYBE.

GC: 1 WOULD M1SS YOU, k4rkl3S, 3V3RYON3 WOULD.

CG: I'D MISS YOU GUYS, TOO.

GC: SOFT13. ;]

GC: H3Y, WHY DON'T YOU COM3 OV3R L4T3R?

CG: SURE, WHY NOT?

GC: COOL! S33 YOU THEN! (4ND DON'T B3 L4T3 TH1S T1M3!) :]

gallowsCallibrator [GC] **ceased trolling** carcinoGeneticist [CG]

Well, he had been hoping to talk to Terezi a bit more now, but there was always time later. Lately, he had been feeling more and more drawn to his moirail, and it was quite confusing. Was he… was he perhaps becoming… flushed? For his moirail? He sighed.

"_quadrants_." He said irritably.

…

**A/N: shortest chapter in a while! Well, I'm going to say goodbye now! This is the last you'll hear from me! From now on, it will be nothing but story! So… Bye! :D **


	9. The recruit

**Recruit**

Feferi checked names off of the list. Each name with a red dash through was a failure. Not good enough. She didn't want to disappoint, but she had to make the cut herself. She had had some assistance from Captain Hurnus, but ultimately, the decision was hers. The list was huge. It was about twenty pages long. The young empress had gone over it many times, trying to decide, reading each name again and again. Finally, after days of work, she had come to the very bottom. She had made a decision for everybody else, but she always hesitated at the very last name.

_Karkat Vantas, Teal, 10 sweeps. Sparring score: 9/10. Obstacle time: 8:47 seconds. Skills with a sickle: 10/10. Manoeuvrability: 7/10. Resistance to blows: 6/10. Speed: 9/10. Overall mark: 8/10. Was left incapacitated upon leaving._

She had to admit, he was good. In fact, he was very good. Although he had a few accidents, she knew that Karkat would make a good Threshecutioner. But should she? Could she accept him, knowing the cost both for him and for her if he was discovered? Eridan was looking over her shoulder. She frowned. She frankly didn't enjoy having him around. She knew that he loved her, and she knew he had the suspicion that she just generally despised him. They had settled for a Kismesis, even though Feferi didn't want to be in any quadrant with him.

"wwhy wwould _Kar_ be joinin?" He spoke with his annoying way of extending his w's. "He's a mutant-blood!"

Oh dear.

"Mr. Ampora, I would appreciate a little bit of privacy! And what are you talking about? Karkat wasn't even on the list!" She lied.

"_Mr. Ampora?" _ Eridan muttered to himself. He sighed and plodded from the room, leaving the Empress to her thoughts.

Could she pull it off? If she accepted Karkat, then she would have to do everything in her power to keep his blood colour a secret. He did that very well at the trials, and if he could keep it up, then he would certainly be a perfect addition to her most elite army.

…

He was always ready. Ready for anything. He had already packed a bag. The needles and the cylinders containing the Immatus were all packed tight with bubble wrap all around. Of course, Sollux couldn't help but pop two or twelve of the air bubbles, but the package was secure. There was also a little glass box with eye contacts in them –teal, of course- for Karkat. Very soon, his eyes would fill in with their natural shade of red, and then he would be found out for sure. All of this was just in case. Just in case his ex-moirail decided to keep Karkat on as a Threshecutioner. He sighed as he thought of Feferi. She was a really great moirail. When the high-bloods had been called off to their duties –as every high blood would when they reached 10 sweeps- there was only one that he missed. Of course, that one was not Ampora. It would NEVER be Ampora. Neither was it Gamzee. They had never gotten along well anyway. But now he needed to focus. It was possible that Feferi or one of the other military commanders would want Karkat in. He had spoken to Vriska earlier, and they had devised a plan. Of course, Vriska was going to get in. She was an incredible fighter, and even if they didn't want her, she still had plan B: Mind control. So, she would pick out a military official that visited Alternia often, and under her influence, he (or she) would deliver monthly doses of Immatus and eye-contacts to Karkat. No-body would ever need to know. He snickered craftily to himself as he placed the package carefully into a slightly oversized sickle case. HE got the idea from his favourite movie: _The Troll-Godfather_ where they put a machine gun in a small-string-played-with-a-stick-instrument. That way, even if the package got lost, it would just be put in with the other shipments of sickles, and if it were opened, nobody would know where it had come from. It was a perfect plan.

…

Stepping outside of his hive, Karkat let out a breath of fresh air. For the first time in weeks, he was at peace. Although he was past the trials, he was –at least for now- in less danger. Of course, there's the chance that he would be taken to the Threshecutioners, but he was pretty sure Feferi wouldn't let that happen. And now, he was off to see his moirail. He had promised to go and see her, and he wasn't going to ditch her this time. It had seemed that she was keeping something from him that last time he talked, and he was determined to find out what. He strolled casually through the streets, still wearing his blank sweater, the one with no cancer symbol on it. It was just in case, because he wasn't out of trouble just yet.

…

Eridan rapped on the door of the Empress's study and office. Nobody answered, so he pushed the door open slightly. Nobody was sat at the desk. Odd, he was supposed to meet Feferi here. She said she wanted to talk to him. He was hoping that this was the moment that he finally got to be more than a Kismesis to the empress. Gingerly walking forward, he noticed an envelope on the table in front of him. It had his name on it. He picked up the thin package and tore open the top. Inside was a folded note. He frowned, unfolding the paper. Written on the letter in fuchsia pink ink, were the simple words:

_I'm breaking up with you, asshole._

_-Feferi._

…

The empress herself sat in her own chamber, looking over her list for one final time. Everybody else on the list were either in or out for sure, but out of the twenty pages, there was still one name at the bottom. Karkat's. She picked up her green ticking pen, then set it down, going instead for the red crossing pen. She repeated this procedure for a few times before finally picking up the green pen and checking Karkat's name. He could do it. He would be a valued member of her most elite army. With help from Vriska, Sollux and herself, she was confident that he could make it.

…

The hot sun was beating on his back. Maybe he should have just wore a t-shirt, it was so hot. Oh well, he could get changed at Terezi's. She wouldn't mind. She-

His thoughts were interrupted by something hard and fast slamming into his stomach, knocking him over. He gasped, winded, and looked up as a red and black drone bent over him.

"Vantas, Karkat. Blood: Teal. Age: 10 sweeps." It crackled in a metallic voice.

"Y-yeah…?" Karkat said cautiously, still trying to get his breath back.

"Report to you hive immediately. You have Twenty-five minutes to pack any toiletries, items of sentimental value or any medications." The monotone voice droned at him.

"You will then report the outside of your hive where you will be taken to the Threshecutioners training facility on Alternia's first moon."

Panicking, Karkat leapt to his feet and began to run back, not to his hive, but to Sollux's. He needed a few things.

…


	10. Preparations

Preparations

Sollux was startled by the sudden thudding on the door of his hive. Slowly, he shuffled downstairs. He wasn't a morning person. He usually wouldn't be up at this time. His usual time of rising was about 10'0'clock, and it was currently two hours before. He huffed as he yanked the door open. Karkat was standing there. He pushed past Sollux and began walking upstairs.

"Sollux, I need the package." He said tensely. Sollux didn't argue. He knew what this meant.

"How long do you have?" He asked.

"Twenty minutes. Twenty five before, but it took me five minutes to get here. I'm not going to be able to get back to my hive before my time is up, so I'll need a toothbrush and stuff from here."

"Yeah Ok." Sollux was rushed, but he was also slightly sad. He would miss Karkat, and it wasn't as it Threshecutioners got time off. It was probable that he would never see his friend again. He headed upstairs behind Karkat and began bundling up the package in the sickle case while the other began taking toothpaste, floss and a toothbrush.

…

Terezi sat in her hive, waiting, once again for her moirail.

…

Feferi was wondering whether she had made the right decision. She had taken a huge risk. A _Huge _risk. Was it worth it? She knew that Karkat would a valued member of the Threshecutioners, and he would go far, but there was still the chance that he would be found out. If that happened, the captains in charge of his Flay-squad would get to him long before she could intervene.

…

Sollux scolded his stupidity. He realised that Karkat would not be able to bring the doses of Immatus with him. He was only allowed toiletries and items of personal value. Of course, he could try to pass the Immatus off as medicine, but that would never be allowed. If they didn't find out what it was, they would assume it were some kind of steroid or something. He needed to give Karkat a large dose now, to make up for the dose he was meant to bring with him, and then he would start sending the doses that he had prepared. He called Karkat over.

"What?" Karkat asked, not even trying to hide the annoyance and stress in his voice.

"Jutht come here. I need to give you a dothe now!"

"Oh." Karkat sighed. "Fine, just make it quick, ok?"

Sollux began opening the cupboards around them, until he produced a razor. He slid it over Karkat's shoulder. Karkat winced, gritted his teeth, but didn't say anything. Red liquid oozed from the small cut.

"Ok, here we go" Sollux said, his eyes on the syringe that he had brought in. He braced Karkat's arm and stuck in the thin metal, pushing down on the plunger slowly. He watched as the teal solution was forced into the other troll's veins. When all of the Immatus was gone, he pulled out the needle. Karkat looked slightly ill, but he got up, holding one finger over the small home in his arm, and the other hand over the razor cut, which had begun to bleed with streaks of teal. With his arms still crossed, he headed downstairs. Sollux followed. Together, the two checked that everything he needed was in the small backpack Sollux had prepared. Karkat checked off all of the items in the bag. A toothbrush. Check. Toothpaste. Check. No point in bringing a whole bag, really.

"Anything elthe you want, kk?" Sollux asked casually.

"Hmm… yeah," Was the response. Karkat stood and walked to the other side of the room, yanking a frame from the wall. Inside the frame was a group photo of him and the other 11 trolls that he had come to call his friends, even if most of them were complete assholes. In the front stood he, Terezi, Sollux, Feferi and Eridan. It was taken about a sweep and a half ago, before the high-bloods were called to their duties. Everyone was smiling. Yeah, he thought, he would bring this.

"Hey!" Sollux yelled, "Thatth mine!"

"Oh come on!" Karkat reasoned, "This may well be the last time I ever see you guys!"

Sollux rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said, slumping his shoulders and stuffing the frame into Karkat's bag.

"Anyway, lookth like you're out of time."

Karkat looked at the clock.

"Yeah, guess so. Well, see you around, maybe."

"Yeah, thee you."

There was an awkward kind of silence in which the two trolls wanted to say something, but nothing was there to be said. With a small wave, Karkat headed to the front door, slinging the bag over his back.

"Thee you, KK." Sollux said. "And take care, ok?"

"Yeah. You too. Oh! And tell Terezi I'm sorry I couldn't make it today. Tell her where I am and that I'm really going to miss her, alright?"

"Thure."

From the bush to the side, several drones emerged, one grabbing Karkat's shoulder with the metallic claw of its hand. They lead him away down the road towards a heavily armoured truck. Sollux watched as they disappeared. He walked back inside, quite sadly, wondering whether he would ever see his friend again.

…

**A/N: I Know I Said I Wouldn't D0 These Notes Anymore, But I Just Wanted To Say Sorry For The Short Chapter! I'm Not That Happy With This One, But I Didn't Want To Keep Anyone Waiting Any Longer! I Know It Was Kind Of 2appy, And I Took Aaaaaaaages To Update, But The Next Chapter Should Be Coming Soon. I've Been Reel Busy L8tley And I Haven't Had Much Tiime To Write. Alright Then, Chapter 11 Coming Riiiiiiiight Up! :D**

**Wow I am so sorry for writing the A/N that way... XD**


	11. The Empress's job

The Empress's job.

A lonely moirail sat alone in her hive. Again. It was getting stupid. This was the second time that he had blown her off without telling her. Was it so hard to be around her that he didn't even want to make excuses anymore? If he was being so awful to her, then how could she even like him… that way? Frustrated and upset, she ripped her mouse from its pad and opened Trollian. Nobody was online. She looked up and down her list of chums, her eyes stopping at one user. _carcinoGeneticist._ His status was set to offline. A small window opened up. Sollux? He must have been set to offline.

twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling gallowsCallibrator [GC]

TA: TZ, I need to talk to you, ok?

GC: Y34H SUR3 I GU3SS. WH4T IS IT?

TA: you know what, Ii 2hould probably come over.

TA: yeah, ii'l ju2t come over.

GC: WHY? :?

TA: ii'l explaiin when ii get there!

GC: UHH, OK. SUR3.

TA: cool.

twinArmageddons [TA] ceased trolling gallowsCallibrator [CG]

That was… really strange. It was unlike Sollux to act so secretive and to just barge in like that. She guessed that all she could really do then was to wait for Sollux to explain in person. Whatever it was, it would be important.

…

Feferi sat in an awkward silence with her advisor. He kept giving her sideways glances. It was still strange having to work with him, but she felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt as if her Kismesis with him had been so… unclean. So wrong. She was definitely glad to vacate that quadrant once again. Her thoughts were interrupted by Eridan's voice.

"Fef, wwhat do you think of the suggestion from the Grand High blood?" He asked, perfectly professionally, but adding under his breath, "If he evven deserves that title, filthy landwweler."

The empress grimaced. All of Gamzee Makara's suggestions for her so far had been nothing but ridiculous and unrealistic prospects, all the result of a spoor-sucking juggalo who had been able to worm his way into government. She usually wouldn't be so harsh on people, but the Grand High blood really got on her nerves.

"What did he ask for this time?" She sighed.

"Wwell, two things actually. One: Faygo should be put back into the market."

"Ugh. No." She had banned Faygo from retail stores all over Alternia one sweep ago, and since then, worker efficiency had gone up 40%. She couldn't put it back in now.

"Next?"

"He wwants his 'religion' you know, the one wwith the wweird clown god things. Wwell, he wwants it to become a certified belief for trolls."

Now that was a little more complicated. Alternia didn't have _any_ certified religions. There were followers of the sufferer, a troll that lived long ago and preached nonsense about peace and prosperity, but that wasn't really an actual belief, just a life-style. There were barley any of them left. Anyway. One of the other "religions" was Troll- Christianity. Followers of Troll- Jegus. It was a small group, but it was growing slowly. Very slowly. There were currently about 200 000 followers, but that was out of about 8 Billion trolls on Alternia, and even more out in Space. Lastly, there were the "Juggalo's." They had been nick named that, because they had no official name. They worshipped their "Mirthful Messiahs" and Gamzee was one of them. He devoted a lot of time and effort into his prayers and beliefs. It was quite a large group, actually. About 400 000 trolls were involved. Some full on, and some not. It may be a good idea to officially certify all three. It would certainly make a lot of trolls happy, and a lot more trolls would feel free to join a religion.

"Put that one in my filing cabinet, ok?"

"Sure."

"Alright. What's next?"

"Wwell, wwe have the issue that you brought up earlier about the low-bloods and high-bloods not getting along."

"Oh." She replied with some frustration. "Right. Yes. Of course."

It was childish, really. Low-bloods and high-bloods literally just weren't getting along. In areas with an even mix of high and low-bloods, the crime rate was increasing to quite uneasy levels. Robbery, assault, ram-sacking of hives. It was ridiculous. Trolls at opposite ends of the hemospectrum were getting into fights all over the place. Even the mid-bloods, like jade and teal bloods were getting involved, picking sides with whichever caste they supported. She wasn't sure what to do.

"What do you think Eridan? I mean, we can't just separate them! It's getting worse and worse!"

"I knoww, I knoww. It's awful. But, we _can _separate them."

"What? No! That would be awful! It would just fuel the fire! It would be like keeping low-bloods in one area, and high-bloods in another, and not letting them interact! It's- It's barbaric!"

"No! It isn't! Listen to me. Wwe have districts for each blood caste. The members of each caste stay there, only interactin wwith other castes under supervvision from officials. There wwill be appointed leaders and officials for each caste. The hemospectrum obviously stays in order, for example, a cerulean wwill still be higher than a red-blood. That wway, all of the castes get to decide howw they run themselvves."

"I'm still not sure. I don't think it will work. I think it will just make the people angrier."

"Trust me. If we just separate them, they won't be able to fight, wwill they?"

"No… I suppose not."

"And messaging and internet wwill still be in place. They can talk online."

"True…"

"So, wwhat do you think?

"Hmmm… I'll think about it."

…

Sitting at a small table, Nepeta sipped tea slowly, off in her own thoughts. Equius had noticed this, and sitting at the same small table with his knees up to his neck, he sipped his tea, too, watching. She had been quite distant lately, and had been thinking a lot.

"Equius?" She spoke suddenly.

"Yes Nepeta?" Equius replied in his low, soft and slow voice, pronouncing each syllable carefully.

"Am I… Am I immature? Do I need to grow up?"

Equius looked slightly off-put. She usually didn't talk about that kind of thing.

"Well, I suppose you are a little on the immature side, considering you are almost a full adult. I also think that is part of who you are."

"Oh. Because I've been thinking a lot lately."

"Yes. I've noticed."

"And I thought about myself. Spreading gossip, shipping all the time, making cat puns!"

"Well, regarding the puns, I have noticed a severe lack of them in the past few weeks."

"Look at me, right now. I'm sitting at a table made for wrigglers sipping tea from a plastic tea-cup!"

Equius was quite honestly shocked. His moirail was having some kind of crisis, and he had no clue what to do about it. This must have come from her conversation with Captor a few weeks ago. He had called her immature then, too. He had told her to _grow up. _Was that what it was all about?

"Is this all because of that low –blood, Captor?"

"Well, I guess that Pawlux- sorry, I mean _Sollux_ got me thinking about it, yeah."

"hmmm." Equius growled, noticeably frustrated, and sweating quite a bit.

…


	12. Moirail

**A/N: I am so bad at not doing these. Wow. Look at my lack of skill for not doing author notes. Look. Anyways, more to the point, I thought I may try a little advertising for some stories I know of! there are a couple of authors I think you should check out! Number one: OmegaCreator, who has written a really cool story called "The Other Man's Land" Number two: d34dstr3tch, who was written an awesome story named "Aid my Downfall." Number three: Unknownranger who is writing a fic called "Blood Cullers." (clever name, right?) Anyway, check them out! (Also, for this chapter, I've been trying to improve the writing quality, because I have noticed that I've been slipping a little.) :D **

Moirail

"WHAT?" She yelled. "When will he be coming back? Why didn't he tell me?"

"He only found out about half an hour ago. He had twenty-five minuteth to get ready, tho he came to me to get the Immatuth."

"I- wow, I really wasn't expecting this." Her face suddenly contorted with rage and she stood up violently "How could Feferi let this happen? What is wrong with her?" She yelled. Sollux gripped her shoulders, calming her down. He could see the fear for her friend in her eyes.

"She did what She had to, TZ. FF needed to do what wath betht for the whole planet, not jutht one troll. I mean, think of it thith way: She needed new recruiths, tho she held trialth. KK wath there, and he wath really good. _Really _good, according to Serket. FF will do ath much ath she can to help KK, but he ith needed."

It was in that moment that Terezi had realised how much Sollux had grown up. Even over these past couple of weeks. This whole experience had changed him, even though he wasn't a main part of it. He was so much more stable, and he had really taken on a more reasonable and more mature point of view. He was convincing. So convincing that Terezi could see what Sollux was saying, and why Feferi wanted Karkat in her army.

"I _guess_ you're right, but still, he _is_ my moirail, and I want him to be alright. I mean, he isn't bloodthirsty or warlike. Compared to some of us, he's pretty peaceful."

"But heth a good fighter. He'll do well ath a threshecuthioner."

"Yeah, but I still can't believe he's actually gone! When will he be back?!" She was getting riled up again. Sollux looked down.

"I – I don't know. Maybe never." He looked sullen, and spoke softly.

"NEVER?" Terezi yelled, jumping from her seat yet again. It was almost to much for her to bear. Karkat was gone, and she never got to tell him… certain things. Now she might never see him - or even be in contact with him – ever again.

"Do you mean, I may never see my moirail ever again, and he never even said goodbye or ANYTHING?" She stood over Sollux, who remained seated. He gave her an exasperated look, as if he were trying not to get angry himself.

"Look TZ," yes. He was getting annoyed. "He is gone. He's gotten himthelf a job, and there'th nothing much we can do, ok? _We jutht have to live with it._ I'm gonna mith him, too, you know! You aren't the only one!"

He wouldn't usually get angry at her in a situation like this, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was being unreasonable, but he was upset, too. He was going to miss his friend a lot. He looked again at Terezi. Her face was strained, and now – was that a tear? He had never seen Terezi cry before.

…

The seats of the truck were hard, and it made the journey quite uncomfortable. The other thing that made things a little difficult was the fact that he was blindfolded. The drone had yanked the chunk of metal over his eyes just as he was forced into the vehicle. He couldn't see anything. The only thing he was certain of was the cold metal pressed against his face, and the fact that he could be speeding toward his demise. He could hear the soft rumbling as the tyres rolled over the road. Sometimes it was quite and smooth, and other times, it bus bumpy. He felt slightly nauseous. Every ten minutes or so, the drone would say in its metallic, computerised voice, "Vantas, Karkat." As if to verify that he was still there. Every time, he would reply. "Yes." He was so exhausted from the past couple of weeks. He hadn't gotten much sleep. He found himself plagued with fatigue, and could feel himself becoming numb with it. The ride was long. So long, and soon he found himself drifting off to sleep. His dreams were haunted with the same visions as before. Fantasies – no, more like horrors – of his fate. How things could end up if he wasn't careful. If he were to be found out. A group of shadows cornering him. A scrape, a cut, a gash. Red everywhere. In his dream, he sunk into black, and that was where he stayed for the remainder of his rest.

…

Jolted awake by the sudden stopping of the truck, Karkat snapped in to awareness. Although, _snapping into awareness_ may not be the best way to describe it. It was more of a trying desperately to run _away from_ awareness, but then being yanked by the scruff of the neck by awareness into the conscious world. So, slowly, he rose. His blindfold was still on, but the metal had warmed against his skin. His seatbelt was done up tight. He couldn't move anywhere other than forwards and backwards. A door to his right clicked open. He could only imagine that the drone had come to unstrap him.

"Get UP sleeping beauty! The time for rest is over, and YOU have work to do!"

Or not.

Karkat could tell that the voice belonged to a person of authority, but he still couldn't help throwing back a remark.

"Well, I WOULD if I didn't have a hunk of metal on my face! Also, not being constricted by a shitty seatbelt might also be nice."

"Oh great, another smart one. Alright. HERE." He unclipped something from the back of Karkat's head, and the blindfold fell free. The seatbelt was also removed. Karkat leapt from the truck and stretched his arms, groaning at the pins and needles in his legs.

"Well, sleeping beauty," The voice said once more. Karkat turned to see that is was none other than Elrond Hurnus.

"Welcome to purgatory."

…

**A/N: wow sorry for that ending! Really sorry X)**


	13. Trip

Trip

-Two days earlier-

_Gimmic Sirvil stood on the corner of the dark alley. His Threshecutioners –command badge shone in the faint moon-light from above. Tonight, he and his flay-squad would be watching over this particular sleeping city. That is, he would if the city were sleeping. This time of night was when most of the criminals and low-lives came out to play. The blue-blooded troll felt as though his blood was shining through his skin, making him feel insecure and unsafe, despite the gun hooked on the front of his belt, red and black sickle swinging from his left side, and his walkie-talkie connecting him to the other twenty-nine members of his Flay-squad on his right side. So far, his night had been pretty quiet, and he hoped it would stay that way. He wasn't in the mood for trouble. _

_"You nervous?" A voice from his left crackled through the walkie-talkie. He recognised the voice as that of Laicos Tenlis, his friend and training partner. He snatched the device from his belt._

_"Course not. Tonight has been as uneventful as ever. Why would I be nervous?" _

_He supposed she was bored and just looking for someone to talk to. _

_"Not about the watch. About your little promotion." came the taunting, playful response. _

_"S'pose so." He stated casually. He was much more nervous than he let on. Tonight was his last day with this flay-squad. Tomorrow, he would be shipped out to Alternia's first moon to train a squad of his own as a captain. He had been an excellent member of his team until now, but it was never too late to screw up. _

_"We're gonna miss you 'round here, Sirvil." Laicos's gruff voice came through once more, breaking Gimmic's concentration. _

_"Hmm." He flicked off the receiver. He turned a corner, and saw a lady leaning against a wall. He walked past her, not really noticing her. She wasn't doing any harm. Apparently, she had noticed him. She grabbed the back of his uniform, catching him by surprise and making him lurch to a halt. _

_"Can I help you?" He growled, one hand on his sickle. _

_"Gimmic Sirvil? Yeah, I think you can." He could barely make out her other features, but even through the darkness, he could see her shocking blue eyes and her sharp, grinning teeth._

…

The ride wasn't over yet. Karkat decided that mouthing off to a superior officer was probably not a very good idea. Especially one fit with huge combat boots and a large, rusty sickle.

"Don't get to cocky, lad. You still need to get on the shuttle. The training facility isn't on Alternia. The drones would have told you that already. So wipe that smug expression from your grub-munching face and move it!" Of course. The training facility was on Alternia's first moon. The Captain gave him a sharp push on the back, making him lurch forward. For a stout little man, the guy had some strength in him. He was headed towards a long, silver shuttle. Following close behind Hurnus, Karkat moved up the steps. Hurnus opened the door, sending a shaft of light into the large vehicle. He looked around, trying to make out features of the shuttle. There were two long benches stretching along the walls, with straight faces trolls sitting on them, looking straight ahead. Karkat had always had quite a cool composure, but now, he could feel himself slipping. A nervous energy buzzed around him as he was pushed onto the bench next to a rather bulky troll. A thick strap was placed over his shoulders. A seat-belt. He had had enough of those devices to last a life time. At least this one wasn't so constricting. He glanced around, but the inside of the shuttle was dark. All he could see were the shadows of the others around him. No-body spoke. The only thing he was certain of was that he was by far the smallest of them all. He looked back at the captain, mouth open. Hurnus made a small, two fingered salute and smirked, dragging the door shut and plunging the shuttle into complete darkness. Breathing heavily, Karkat tried to compose himself. He felt the steady rising of the vehicle as it ascended into the sky. After that, he couldn't feel any movement. He was left alone to his thoughts. He was glad that there was no light, otherwise everybody would be able to see the fear plastered all over his face.

…

_A certain Vriska Serket was expecting company the next morning. Drones to take her away for training. She was certain that she had been selected to become a Threshecutioner. But she still had work to do. She had been searching among the ranks of the command. She and Sollux had agreed that they needed somebody quite high in the Threshecutioner ranks. Somebody that would have access to the recruits, but would visit Alternia frequently. After a little research and a few conversations with some contacts that she and Sollux shared, she had the perfect person. The perfect courier. The perfect scapegoat. With a little "persuasion" from her, the target would gladly pass supplies of Immatus from Sollux to Karkat. He was being promoted soon. He would be in charge of a new flay-squad, one full of new recruits. Personally, Vriska thought that this was quite stupid, as shouldn't new recruits be commanded by an experienced captain? The target, being new to the job, would report to his old Captain on Alternia once a month for a progress report. She guessed that he would much prefer to use email, but from what she had gathered, the old Captain was old-fashioned and liked to do things face to face. She had some of his files printed out. She looked at them. Blue-blood, just one caste above her. Quite strong. Not as strong as say, Equius, but strong enough to get by. Spiky hair. Messy. He did weekly rounds around the city. He and his flay-squad would be completing these rounds tonight, just her luck. She headed out, walking briskly on the cold pavement, shrouded in freezing air. She stalked around for a little while, before coming across a group of official looking trolls in Threshecutioners Command outfits. Perfect. It seemed that she had stumbled across his flay-squad, about to begin the rounds. It must have been her lucky night. But then again, so was every night. She followed a little while behind her target, always keeping out of sight. A couple of times, she saw him pick up his receiver and talk into it. He mumbled, so it was hard to make out his words. She followed for about an hour, then left him, finding a place a little while ahead. She leaned against a brisk wall, head down. It wasn't long before he passed her. He walked ahead, barley noticing until she yanked on the back of his uniform. She could see him tense up. He reached for his sickle. _

_"Can I help you?" He sounded edgy._

_"Gimmic Sirvil?" Vriska Purred, putting as much charm into her voice as she could._

_"Yes. I think you can." _

_…_

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Guess I kind of had my own megapause! I have heaps of spare time for a little while now, so I should update pretty regularly. Here's the blog for my friend's fan troll, Laicos Tenlis, as she asked. She was used a little bit in this chapter, but here's her original blog. Gimmic Sirvil is not my Original character, either. :D**

.


	14. The new flay-suqad

**The new Flay-squad**

With a backpack strapped to his back and a Threshecutioners jump-suit pressed tight against his skin, Karkat followed the line of recruits as they were lead out of the vehicle. One or two were holding personal items, like a photo or a piece of jewellery, looking around nervously. The rest walked straight ahead, staring at the head of the person in front of them. Karkat was nearly at the back of the line, his shoulders back, and his head help high. He needed to make a good impression. He clenched one hand into a fist, and curled the other around the frame he was holding. He had managed to get it out of his bag in the pitch black of the air-craft, and he hadn't put it back in yet. Once everyone was out, they were lined up against the side of the vehicle. A troll stepped in front of the line and began pacing up and down. He had a Threshecutioners command badge on the breast of his uniform, signifying that he had been in service for quite a while. He was slightly taller than Karkat, and had a walk that was quite intimidation. With his face totally blank and his eyes half closed as if he were bored, he scanned up and down the row or thirty of so trolls. He took a deep breath.

"My name is Captain Gimmic Sirvil. You are my new flay-squad." He belted out. His voice was relatively deep, and he spoke quite loudly.

"From this moment on, my word will be law to you. I'm sure you've heard this before, but Threshecutioner training will last for one sweep exactly and will be the hardest, most brutal thing you will ever have to go through. Remember that everything you do from here on out will be for the benefit of the Empress and your planet. You also need to remember that you are dispensable and can be replaced. Any quadrants you may have filled in the past have now been emptied, as I'm sure you won't be seeing the other half again. Your lusii have been passed on to a new grub. So, you see, you are now property of the empress. You have nothing to go back to now."

This brought on a small gasp from a few of the recruits, who were rewarded for their interruptions with a deathly glare from Captain Sirvil. Karkat's mind, however, was more questioning. _Who would they give my lusus to? A teal-blood?_ There was no time for those thoughts, though. Soon, the group was once again being led by Sirvil to a long, low building. They entered through huge swinging doors and came face to a large room filled with beds. In the little while they got to stare, Karkat counted 33 in total, each with a trunk at the foot. He supposed that this was where they would be staying. One by one, Sirvil called out a name and showed them each to a bed, where they would begin to unpack their small amounts of possessions. Karkat was somewhere in the middle, having a bed on the right side of the room. He began to walk over to his bed when he heard the next name called.

"Serket, Vriska! Bed 18."

His head jerked around to see Vriska walking, holding a small carrier bag, over to where he was and put her things down on the bed next to him. She grinned at him.

"Looks like Feferi pulled some strings, huh?"

With a shocked expression, Karkat managed a feeble "yeah, I guess so."

He supposed he should have expected this. The empress herself was looking out for him.

…

The recruitment list was still on her desk, but the empress herself was gone. She was supposed to be in a meeting with her advisor at the moment, but she had been caught up with some other issues. The advisor in mention was still waiting at her desk. Eridan leaned against the wooden structure and put his head to the roof. He swished his hand idly through the water in front of his face, sighing deeply. He was exhausted. It was so difficult being in the company of the empress now. The Empress, his ex-Kismesis, and, before that, his ex-moirail. The feelings on his part had never changed, though. But it was so hard now, having regular meetings with her, and never being able to look her in the eyes since the day she called it off. It was hard work to breathe through the thick layer tension in the air anymore, and although Feferi kept up her usual bubbly demeanour, he was sure she felt it, too. He glanced down at the desk where the list still lay. She hadn't let him see it yet. Maybe now would be his chance to see what she had been keeping. The list was shorter now, only about 120 names chosen from the many applicants. He flicked through, not really seeing anything out of the ordinary. Nothing, that is, until he reached the last name on the last page.

_Karkat Vantas. 10 sweeps. Blood: Teal. _

Karkat? Impossible. He was a mutant blood, so how could he have gotten past the blood tests? He stared at the name. There was something going on here, something that Feferi had to be aware of. Karkat was lying about something. He had somehow managed to convince all of the guard and military higher-ups that he was a teal-blood. Very strange. He imagined that Feferi had some input into this deception. Eridan thought for a while about what he should do. No doubt that if he were a few sweeps younger, he would have exposed this straight away. He would have been anxious to bring this to the attention of the authorities, which, he supposed, was him now. And he could do it, too. With one phone call, one photocopy or a photograph, files and information from a few sweeps ago, he could expose this little lie. But then, there was Feferi. She obviously stuck her neck out for him this time. HE could imagine the disappointment on her face, the hatred at him and the sadness over the inevitable execution of the one that dared to lie to the empire. He thought of Karkat, who through his childhood, had always been alright towards him. He thought of all the people that would be negatively affected if he exposed the new recruit now. He knew he couldn't do it. Once again he sighed and flung the papers back onto the desk.

He was too tired for this.


	15. Control

**Control**

Gimmic Sirvil looked over at his new flay-squad as they unpacked their things. In a moment, he would give them all a couple of uniforms, and brief them on the standards that they would need to live by. While scanning the faces, he recognised only one: The Cerulean over on bed 18. Checking his clipboard, he found that her name was Vriska Serket. The name was unfamiliar, but her face; he knew he had seen her recently. He thought back to a few nights ago, when he had been on patrol in a large city. He was sure he had seen her there, but he couldn't quite place her anywhere. He decided to push the thought from his mind.

…

The bed that he sat on was hard, covered only by a thin, navy blue blanket. Karkat looked down at the chest at the foot of the bed. Inside was a small bag containing a few toiletries. He had also slipped his bag in there. It was still not even half full. He guessed that soon it would contain a few uniforms, too. Vriska was standing in front of him, her face stretched into an exaggerated grin.

"Isn't it great, Karkat?" She said, then, lowering her head and speaking in a whisper,

"You may have even got away with it. By the way, I have something for you. Sollux decided it would be too risky for you to bring this yourself."

With that, she walked away, dropping something into Karkat's chest as she went. It was a small package wrapped in black fabric. He glanced at it, already knowing what it was. Vriska made a full lap around the beds then came back towards him, her head still bent, and whispered,

"Enough for a month."

Before he could react, Captain Sirvil's voice rang out across the long room. Everybody looked up immediately. It really amazed Karkat that Sirvil could only be about a sweep older than him, but, even after knowing him only for a few minutes, still held so much authority in the way that he spoke and walked. His voice cut through the quiet of the room. Karkat quickly shoved the cloth-package into his pack, and pushed it down into the very corner of his chest. He flung the lid shut and stood up.

"Everybody grab three uniforms. The sizes are marked, find the right ones, then get changed," He said, motioning to a side door that lead to a changing room. The recruits filed to the front of the room. Most of them moved to the pile marked "Large."

Vriska moved to the "medium" pile, leaving Karkat as the only one in "small."

He sighed, slumped his shoulders and out his hands to his face. Heading toward the pile of red and black fabric.

…

"I guess I should probably give you all a more formal introduction, shouldn't I? Alright then, welcome to Threshecutioners training command centre A, More informally known as the Cell Block. Every three sweeps, we chose ninety cadets out of the thousands of applicants wanting to be where you are now. Out of the ninety, we make three groups. First, Second and Third. You are Third. The groups are the Flay-squads. First are the elite. Seeing as though you are third, then what does that make you? I'll leave you to answer that. Anyway, today will be your last remaining day of peace. From then on, it will be hard work. Up at 5:30 every morning, lights out by 9:00. Your day will start with two hours of fitness and exercise warm ups. Then we will have twenty minutes of breakfast. For the rest of the day until 6:00, we will be training. This will be the most important part of your day. AT this time, we will cover strategy, manoeuvring, weapons handling, and all of the other skills that will prepare you for the day you are called out to battle. And believe me, that day will come. I will tell you now, as you may or may not know, our empire, the empire that you will eventually give your life to, is not the defender. Our empire is the one that picks the fights."

The recruits stood in shocked silence. Even the ones that had look violent and bloodthirsty before seemed to be shaking in their boots now. It was as if they had all only just realised what they had gotten themselves into. Karkat had figured that out the day he got home from the recruitment office. He had known what he was in for the whole time, and he was, even now, still terrified. He was in more danger than anyone else that stood in that room with him. All they had to fear were the enemies, but he had to fear everybody. He still wasn't sure how he was going to hide the Immatus from Sirvil. He was kind of counting on Sollux for that one. That's why he was so surprised when Vriska just casually handed him the supply. He scanned the captain up and down while he continued to speak. Surely he couldn't be in on it, could he? His glance flickered to Vriska, who was looking at Sirvil, the hint of a smile playing on her face.

…

Up until 6:00, the recruits were able to sit around on their beds and familiarise themselves with their new home. Most of them were split into small groups, crowded around one or two beds. Karkat sat alone. Vriska sat on her bed, going through her things again and again. Everybody was handed out three more uniforms, as well as a few jumpsuits. They were folded neatly in a pile on top of Karkat's possessions. It was only after quite a while of staring hard at his chest and occasionally glancing at Captain Sirvil, who was patrolling the Cell Block, stopping to clip anyone that was being too loud sharply over the head with the butt of his sickle, for Karkat to stand up and tap Vriska hard on the shoulder. She looked up at him and grinned.

"Vriska, how are we going to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Keep all of this hidden from _him!_" His voice was a raspy whisper as he tried to keep it down.

"Oh, he shouldn't be a problem. In fact, he's one of our biggest assets," she winked at him

"Of course, he doesn't know it"

Karkat stared at her, wondering what on Alternia she could be talking about. She picked up on it, but this only seemed to make her grin wider.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet!'

"Figured WHAT out?" He hissed

"Well, obviously I had a little 'talk' with Mr Sirvil beforehand. I can be very _very_ persuasive."

That still didn't explain very much.

"So you used your mind control. Yeah, I kind of guessed that much, but how is he going to help, and what about the higher-ups?"

"He's going to help by acting as a kind of courier. He visits Alternia every month, so when he does, he';; be meeting up with our…" she lowered her voice even more, making herself almost inaudible.

"…supplier…"

"I see…"

"And as for the higher ups? We have the empress on our side if we need her. Although, she can't do much to the control of the Threshecutioners, they belong to her, but she doesn't control them. The commanders do. So, we'll just have to be careful."

…

The lights were switched off at 9:00 on the dot. There was a large digital clock in the centre of the room, and that was the only thing Karkat could see through the thick black of the Cell Block. As the lights flickered and died, they brought with them not only darkness, but a sense of finality. This would be his home for the next sweep, unless he was discovered. He wasn't even sure what would happen after that. He went through the usual routines in his head. Cursing himself and his stupidity, thinking of his friends, lusus and abandoned home. His lusus, he imagined, would have been returned to his original home, underneath Alternia, then assigned to a new grub, and would be well on the way to forgetting him. His hive would be demolished, along with everything inside. He wondered about Terezi. If he ever did return, would they still be moirails? No, she would find somebody else to fill that position. He thought as well of his friends. Sollux, Vriska, Terezi, Feferi. They had all helped him out so much, and what had he done? Nothing. It was quite shocking for Karkat to think about how little control he had over his life now. His photo was on the floor next to his bed, but he couldn't see it.

He could, however, imagine the happy faces of all of the people he'd endangered smiling through the streaked glass.

(sorry for the lack of updates lately! I haven't had access to my computer for a while)


End file.
